I'm a Big Fat Lame Train Wreck of a Mess!

     I feel like I am just a T-total mess today.  I just came from my gymnastics lesson/practice, and I had the WORST day there EVER!  I left there feeling like I'm falling apart, and I was holding back the tears. I was NOT going to let anyone see me cry!!!  I am having yet another set back with back flips.  I was doing awesome after the last set back...as if I came back with a vengeance!  However, my fear is once again getting the best of me and stopping me dead in my tracks when it comes to flipping backwards.  This is so FRUSTRATING!!!!!  I KNOW I can do this!  I was doing them practically on my own pretty consistently! All of a sudden, I'm freaking out over it again!  WTH???!!  My coach(Mika), who is awesome BTW, even told me today that I'm sucking so bad today that I probably should cry.  I love how honest she is:)  Before you get all protective and defensive:it was in a context that when she's sucking, it helps her to just let the tears flow, and she thought it may help me as well. She wasn't being a big mean bitch. LOL  After all, she was right.  I was being a big lame baby! I absolutely hate days like this. It makes me so mad at myself!!
Mika also made a valid point about how I'm not feeling good about my body and my fitness right now, which can totally affect my performance in gymnastics.   I've been banned(by my trainer) from cardio for a while, which makes me feel like such a slacker. He has good reason though, and it's for my own good.   I've had a few weeks of being way off track in the diet department.  I've put on weight, and I feel like a big fat cow!!  As of yesterday, I have wrapped my head back around my eating plan, and I'm pretty much back on track. So, I'm sure the extra weight will make its way off my body in short order.  She(Coach Mika) is right though,  all of these factors go hand in hand.  For now, we are going to learn a few other skills instead of focusing so much on the back flip.  I can always go back to it when I'm ready.  It still infuriates me though. I thank God for a coach who is honest with me and understanding, and I'm also so blessed to have her as a friend.  I feel like there's a reason God put her in my life.  I love you, Mika!!  Thanks for being you!  I'm sorry I'm such a baby sometimes.  BTW, your Michael Jackson moves today were awesome:)

Isagenix

I have an exciting announcement to make!  I finally joined up with Isagenix!  I never knew what an amazing company this is!!  They have awesome core values, they give back in so many ways, and the products have changed the lives of thousands!  If you are looking for something different....a convenient way to stay on track with your nutrition to keep you on the path of a healthy lifestyle, or a simple way to lose some excess weight, Isagnix may be exactly what you're looking for! If you want to learn more about the company and the products, you can do so by going to my personal Isagenix website! http://barbiethomas.isagenix.com  Of course, if you have questions, feel free to contact me.  If I don't know the answers (yet), I will get them for you!

RX Girl Interview

Shortly after I was done competing this year, RX Girl interviewed me via email!  If you'd like to read the finished product, here is the link:
http://www.rxmuscle.com/rx-girl-articles/athlete-profiles/6192-the-inside-scoop-on-barbie-thomas-fitness-unarmed.html


Thank you Jennifer Weaver for interviewing me, and it was very nice to finally meet you while we were in Chicago!!

2012 Jr. USA and Jr. Nationals

WHEW! The last month or so has been somewhat of a whirlwind!  I competed at Jr. USA in May and again at Jr. Nationals this past weekend.  
Let's start with Jr. USA. This contest is held in N. Charleston, SC, which is cool because that is somewhere I've never been before!  We didn't really have any time to enjoy the city though.  Competition day was a VERY LONG day!  I had to wake up at 4am to eat and get everything together(meals, suits, etc) and get my makeup on before my 5:30am hair styling appointment and my 6:30am tanning appointment!  I even managed to make it to the athlete's meeting on time by 7:30am!  Fitness routines, as usual, started the day:)  There were 20 girls competing in fitness this time, which is refreshing! Nine were in my class. For some reason, they only had 2 height classes instead of 3. I didn't feel like i did well in my routine at all.  I was disappointed in my performance to say the least.  Only the top 5 got to perform again at finals that night, and I was not in the top 5.  I placed 8th.  I was so ready for the day to be over!  
On to Jr. Nationals in Chicago!  I felt like I did MUCH better at this show!  I was happy with my routine, felt better mentally and physically, and looked better!  I did a few things differently, and I will do them again next time around:)  There were 17 in fitness this time, 3 height classes. As usual, I was in the tall class, along with 4 other girls.  I did place 5th this time.  I was a little disappointed.  I honestly felt like I should've been in third place.  Everyone I spoke to said they had me in third place.  That's not how the cookie crumbled though.  However, because I was in the top 5 of my class, I am automatically qualified to continue competing on the national circuit for another year!
After the show, I did a short interview with Muscle & Fitness Hers and then ventured into the city to see my friend Pierce at FitBodyLab to shoot a video, which included a little working out and some Q & A.  We had fun with this, even though I was beyond exhausted!  Sunday, we spent the day with my husband's family, who all live about 45 min from the show venue. I could vent, but I won't. Enough said about that!  Monday, I had a photo shoot to do, which was interesting because it was SO windy!  Chicago isn't called the windy city for nothing!  We spent the rest of the day walking around the city.  We went for pizza, which I was NOT impressed with at all.  It was SO NOT worth the calories!  Then we headed to the airport, just to sit there for hours because our flight was delayed. Oh the joys of Chicago. LOL  I am glad to be home and back to my normal routine!  It may take a while for me to recover though!
Next year, I'm planning on competing at Jr. Nationals and Team Universe.  Until then, I'm going to continue working on my problem areas and new tricks for my routine!
Here are a few pics from Jr. Nationals:

Pink Couture Part 2

As promised, here is the second part of the interview with Pink Couture Life!  I'm not sure what happened with some of the pics and videos that  I took for them. Maybe there will be as Part 3?  
http://pinkcouturelife.com/2012/06/04/exclusive-part-2-pink-session-with-barbie-thomas/

Pink Couture Life Interview

A few months ago, I did an interview with Pink Couture Life, an online magazine.  The cover, with me on it, came out last Friday, and Part 1 of my interview came out today!  I hope you enjoy Part 1, which is a basic Q and A!!
http://pinkcouturelife.com/2012/06/04/barbiethomasfitnessunarmed/

Part 2 will be pretty cool, different for sure!  I got to answer some of their questions by taking pics and videos!  I thought that was such a neat way to do it! I really enjoyed doing this interview!

Only 4 More Days

I am really starting to get excited about competition this coming weekend!  I've only got 4 more days left until the big day!  Today, I will get my last routine practice in, which I really need since I was sick most of last week and didn't get to practice.  Tonight, I will run those bleachers one last time.  Tomorrow morning, I will get my butt to the gym just to do some lighter weight/higher rep sets to get some blood pumped into my muscles and do some posing in the sauna to squeeze out as much water as I can.  The rest of my day tomorrow will be more relaxing, fun, girly stuff like a pedicure and hair color/cut!!  Yay!!  That sounds like a perfect day!!  I hope to get most of my packing done tonight so that I can just chill with my kids tomorrow night and go to bed EARLY!  We have to fly out VERY early Thurs. morning!!  Friday will be just relaxing, eating, tanning, and checking in!  I can't wait for Shelly and I to share out first national (well, Jr. National) show together, as well as see some more of my friends there!!  I'm also hoping to squeeze a photo shoot in while we're there!  Of course, when we get back, I will post some pics and tell y'all all about my experience at Jr. USAs!! Stay tuned!  xoxo

Don't Stress?

So, I'm competing in 5 days, I've been sick for nearly a week. I've missed a few workouts, I didn't practice my routine at all last week, and I still feel like crap.  How am I supposed to not stress out??  I don't have the answer to that question, BUT  I am going to do my best.  I've worked hard, trained hard, I know my routine, and I'm sticking to my diet.  I'm seriously hoping that I will be feeling better very quickly so I can stroll right onto that stage and rock their socks off!!  Hopefully, I will be able to get into the gym a time or two as well before we take off.  However, if that doesn't happen, I'm still going to do my best to just relax and roll with it. There's not really anything I can do about, right?!!  It's part of "accepting the things I cannot change."  Wish me luck!! xoxo

No Time For Sickness

Tomorrow, I will be ONE week away from stepping on stage again!  I am excited and feeling fairly ready.  I'm stressing a bit because my body is trying to fight off sickness.  I have had a sore throat for 3 days now. I keep thinking it's probably just allergies, but it gets progressively worse each day.  I took Wed. completely off from the gym to rest. I did train yesterday, did only 30 min. of cardio, and ran bleachers last night.  I am once again resting today, except for posing practice later with my friend Shelly. Other than that,  I guess I'll just be doing mom things today like doing laundry, going to the grocery store(my 3rd home), and going to watch Jared do all his events at his school's field day today!!  FUN!!
Anyway, even though I'm feeling a little "under the weather," my body fat is still dropping, and my body is tightening up...yay!!!  I finally got on the schedule with Laurie St. Micheals to get my hair done for the show next week too.  That's one less thing to worry about now:)  I'm still waiting on confirmation and times for tanning, but I know how that goes.  It'll come next week some time.  Now, as soon as I get my suit and costume back from being altered, I'll be set!!   Before I say goodbye, I'd just like to say HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all of the awesome moms!  I hope you have a great weekend and a very special Mother's Day!!  xoxo

Barcelona AZ 99 Girls

Nearly a month ago,  I had the opportunity to speak to a group of girls and their parents at their soccer end of the season banquet/dinner.  Their coach and his wife are friends of mine from the gym.  They are the Barcelona AZ 99 Girls!  Coach Jimmy threw them a nice banquet, where they all got to get all dressed up and have a nice dinner with the team and all the parents.  This was a pretty special night for them.  Anyway,  I knew I was going to share my story with them, but I also wanted to speak about topics that are relevant to 13 yr. old girls and make an impact on them.  I spoke a lot about learning to love yourself and being true to who you are, rather than following the crowd to fit into what "they" want you to be.  I spoke about following your dreams, setting goals and going after them.  I spoke about what it takes to get where you want to go in life.....it's not always easy!  It takes self discipline, hard work, sacrifice, and dedication, and NO EXCUSES!  I did go into the "CAN'T" is NOT an Option speech.  Of course, I used examples for all of the above.  I think it went well, and Coach Jimmy and his wife Sammie have since told me that they had a lot of positive feedback from the parents.  The girls seemed to enjoy it as well.  They really opened up and got into it when we had some Q & A time:)  I know how difficult it can be at times to be a 13 yr. old girl, and I only hope that what I had to say to them got through to them in some way.  I hope that the words I spoke to them got into their heads and their hearts.  I hope that when they are going through certain situations, they recall the things I said that night.  They sure are a good group of girls, and I want to share with you a photo that they sent to me.  Thank you, Coach Jimmy, Sammie, and all Barcelona AZ 99 Girls (and parents!)

Eleven Days Out

I am now less than 2 weeks away from my next competition, Jr. USA Championships!  Unfortunately, I have not yet mastered an aerial to put into my routine:(  My schedule and Jessica's schedule always seem to conflict. We just have not been able to work together enough on this.  That doesn't mean I'm giving up though!  Other than that, I feel satisfied with my routine.  I do feel like I may be a bit behind physique wise.  It's my own dang fault.  I was really struggling to keep my mitts out of the nuts.  I was eating them like they were going out of style!  I finally decided to have my husband hide them from me.  I put them all in a box, and he took them away! We shall reunite in a few weeks:)  Cutting out the nuts has helped, and I'm seeing some improvement already.  I think that the way my body looks right now is how I should look at maybe 4-6 weeks out, not 2 weeks out.  Am I my own worst critic? Am i just being too hard on myself? Maybe, but I don't think so.  I am doing my best to pull it all together so I can shine on stage.  So, what am I doing to pull it together??  I'm drinking even more water...2 gal/day now.  I'm drinking coffee now to help suppress my appetite.  Most days, I'm ok, but some days, like this past Sunday...not ok.  I was so hungry and craving EVERYTHING!  Feeling like this tends to make me cranky, which is no fun for anyone.  I've also added green tea and plenty of lemon water to help get rid of water that I'm holding, especially in my lower back and hamstring area.  I will start practicing posing in the sauna again next week too.  I'm also wearing a neoprene waste trimmer whenever I can, and today I've started putting Eviscerate Smolder (it's a topical/transdermal fat burner) on my abs, lower back, hips, and buttocks....with the waste trimmer around my mid-section. WHOA!!!  Talk about HOT!!!  I love it!  I'm getting some extra bleacher workouts in as well, just to get as conditioned as I can!  Yesterday, I met with Kelli to practice posing, and OMG...my back was so sore from it!  Anyway, she said she thinks I look better than I looked at the March show.  I dunno.  My husband says he doesn't think there's any difference, except that my quads look better.  I want to believe that the truth is somewhere in the middle. LOL  I'll be going to a group posing session on Sat.  I will see if I can get someone to snap a few pics of me so y'all can see for yourselves if there's any progress since last time.  So, stay tuned!!  xoxo

Special Blessings

A few months ago, I was invited to be an honoree at a Special Blessings Amputee Expo.  Special Blessings is a support group in AZ for parents of children with limb differences, as well as adults with limb differences.  I don't usually associate much with the amputee groups.  I guess I've just always chosen not to because I feel like being an amputee isn't what defines me.  If something has to define me, I'd rather it be that I'm a fitness enthusiast, competitor, athlete, inspirer/motivator.  Most of the time, being an amputee doesn't even factor in anywhere.  However, I was there for a friend when they started this support group. So, I agreed to go and be a part of this, even though I wasn't exactly thrilled, but whether I like it or not, being an amputee is a part of who/what I am.  Tt never even crossed my mind that although I didn't need the support, I could be the support for others in need of it.  I could be a blessing to someone else who might be going through some of the same things I have already gone through!  I actually loved seeing the faces of the younger children who have differences.  I met a 3 yr old little girl named Bella, who actually lives only a few miles from me. She is missing her left hand and part of her arm.  I think she was actually happy to see me, as well as other children who are like her!!  After a while, she put her prosthetic on, which was a tiny little hand that was much like one of them that I used to have.  I told her that I used to have a hand like that, and I used to paint the finger nails and put rings on it!  She was ecstatic to think that that could be done!  Her mom asked if she wanted to paint her finger nails when they get home, and Bella LIT UP!!  She was so excited!  It almost made me cry to see how happy that made her!  Just meeting her was totally worth my time and drive out there.  I also met another little boy named Luke, who I met once before at the mall in the Lego store.  His parents had questions for me, and I will be helping them and working with him on some tasks that he needs to master.  I also connected with a mother of twins(one was missing an arm) who was very distraught and really having a difficult time coping.  I hope she will call me so I can offer her some support and encouraging words when needed.  I met some other wonderful people too.  I am so glad that I agreed to go because it blesses me to be able to help others and be a blessing to them.  Helping others and watching them grow and succeed is the most rewarding thing one can do.  I am so looking forward to getting together with these children and their parents to help them out however I can and showing them how much a '"CAN'T" is NOT an option!' attitude helps! 

Combing My Hair

I still don't get why stuff like combing my hair is so interesting, but you know me.... I aim to please!  So, today you get to see how I comb my hair. Again, I use my left leg as my stabilizing leg, and my right foot to hold the comb or brush. It looks like this:

Texting

According to the results of the poll I took recently, you wanted to see more of how I do things with my feet.  So, I've had my son taking some pictures of me doing random things.  Today, we will start with how I text!  People are always amazed and in awe when they see me texting with my fat little toes. Now you get to see it too!  I hold my phone with my left foot and text mainly with my big toe on my right foot. I've been able to text on every phone I've had, even phones with the tiniest of buttons:)  It looks like this:

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