Want To See Amazing Results?

Of course you do! I have been with Tony for almost a year and a half now. I have had some pretty amazing results. During this time I have gone from 193 lbs to 125 lbs. Mentally I am so much stronger then I was a year and a half ago, thanks to my talks with him.
However I have only just recently began to realize how important each of the things he has us do really is.
The way he has my meals structured, the pre and post workout nutrition, right down to the way he has me do my cardio. There is a reason for all of it! Very specific reasons. I didn't always pay real close attention to some of these things.

The more I learn through the course I am taking the more I see the WHY behind what he has me do. I can now look back and see when I followed ALL his advice I did amazingly well. When I started to let things slip, and think oh well, I missed this or I don't really have to do that... things started to come apart at the seams.

Especially when you have been doing it for a long time its easy to make tiny changes to the way you do things that over time become big changes.

So pay CLOSE attention to what he says, the WHAT, WHEN, HOW. He knows his stuff and you WILL have amazing results! He wants the best for you, and he cares like few I have ever met in my life. Thanks Tony :D

Conquering Yourself

Isn't it funny how some of the best workouts ever are the ones you don't feel like doing at all? Take this morning, I did legs and then had an hour of cardio, and I kept thinking...man I just worked legs, and I worked them HARD. I'm probably going to have a hard time with this cardio, I really didn't want to do it, but thought I'll do my ending cardio for weights at a higher intensity to make up for it. Well once I got started I didn't want to stop so I just kept right on going and had one of the best cardio sessions ever.

Sometimes I have to trick myself through the workout 5 minutes at a time. I like to use this time to daydream about the stage and what I will look like. It makes the time go by much faster.


This has happened several times, where I have REALLY not felt like training but did anyway and I have even hit PRs on these days. So when I feel like I really don't want to workout... I think this might be one of the BEST workouts ever. I'll just start and see how I feel. Most of the time I breeze right through it. I think its just a mental thing. So if you find yourself dragging your feet and trying to think of a good reason to skip or put off your workout, just get started, you may surprise yourself and have one of your best workouts EVER!

Then you can feel badass the rest of the day because you conquered yourself. :)

Champions and Fighters

I have been reflecting on this journey to compete. Its exhilarating, and exhausting. Its all I can think about.
It has really taken me by surprise the sudden resistance I have come up against.
It seems as I get closer to my goal I have to fight harder then ever. The mental part of preparing for a competition can make you feel like you are going crazy some days. I fight to control my thoughts, to keep them focused and where they should be. I tell myself I am an athlete, this is what I do, and I tell myself its easy even though my body is begging me to stop.

I love the the song Champion In Me from Three Doors Down. Thats what all of us are that are fighting for our dreams, we are champions.

While I am doing my long cardio sessions I like to zone out and imagine my new body in vivid detail. What I am going to look like in my suit and heels on that stage, the music, the feeling of exhilaration. These things help keep my mind where it needs to be. I am great at visualizing but remembering my phone number, or how to spell, or where I put my keys... not so much. :P

Then I have to fight against friends and family. They just don't get it. They just don't understand how important this is, they seem to think of it as a beauty or bikini contest. They don't realize the intense training and dieting and discipline this takes. They want to know why I can't have some cake, or even or even a sandwich and seem to get some kick out of bringing their food around, knowing I can't have it.

Not to mention all the regular things life throws your way. You really have to dig down deep to stay focused and on track. The best thing is all this fighting strengthens you, you learn you can do things you never thought you could. You feel amazing after a workout. Seeing your body change is just an incredible feeling, I don't want to miss a workout because I want to see what my body looks like tomorrow!
If you have enough desire and belief in your dream, you will fight with everything you have, and thats when you become a champion!

Heres to all the champions fighting for their dreams!! :D

Dreambodies Blog

Check out the Dreambodies blog! http://www.longislandpersonaltraining.blogspot.com/

Its A Marathon...Not A Sprint

Someone said that the journey to getting fit is a marathon not a sprint. This is so true. Its a long road that goes uphill, downhill and around lots of bends. Sometimes its cool when there are trees along the road and sometimes its blistering hot, sometimes it may be storming. It never stays the same and you have to learn to adapt to the changes. Sometimes it may feel relatively easy and sometimes you just want to get off the road all together.

Its the same with fitness. Sometimes you struggle just to get to the gym, your life is hard, things just aren't going right, sometimes its smooth sailing, motivation is high, its a habit now and doesn't take as much work to maintain, but then life will throw you a storm, maybe your having financial troubles, or relationship issues and you just don't want to do it anymore. You have to adapt.

Its human nature to be impatient and want to see changes tomorrow, but there is a learning curve that cannot be avoided, and of course the body takes its sweet time. But if you just keep going, consistently, with a good plan, you WILL reach your destination. Its a simple concept but one I used to easily lose sight of, with a good plan, like what Tony provides, if you just keep at it, you WILL see results, you just have to know that and believe it. Its inevitable. Its already yours.

Tell yourself that you are leaner then yesterday, you are stronger then yesterday, and your body is changing. See your body now as your working out and then see it in your mind morphing into your dream body, the fat melting away to reveal your new tight body of your dreams. How do you feel? How much faster can you run? Feel the exhilaration.

See it in your minds eye, believe its attainable, and achieve it.

Inspired!

I was slipping last week. I Didn't go to the gym, mostly because It was a hectic week, lots of unexpected things popped up and I didn't have my meals prepared and didn't plan properly. I was losing motivation and making excuses. I also had my first unauthorized cheat. I puffed up and looked like I was pregnant, so then of course I was a bit embarrassed to be seen and my muscles were feeling kinda soft and not looking real good.

I had to go back to square one, re-read everything Tony has me doing and why. I had to refocus and look at my goals again. Then Tony sent out his newsletter and he was talking about how some people quit when they are soo close. I don't want that to happen to me.
So Saturday I drug myself to the gym with my new ipod and had the BEST workout ever.

Today is Tuesday, my arms are leaner and my legs are smaller then ever. I can't believe how the results come when I just do exactly what Tony says. I am killing the workouts and the intensity is definitely there. I love this program and Tony. I am so glad I can do this. Tony has a way of talking to you and making you feel like you can conquer the world. I want to say to anyone lurking out there, no matter where you are right now, no matter how heavy or out of shape you may be, you can have your dream body! Crystallize that dream and go for it!
I also just want to thank the Divas who kept me on track and held me accoutable to get going again :) Thanks!

Motivation, Habits and Goals

It seems all the Divas have been in my head! It feels so good to have this awesome group of girls that know just how I am feeling. I have been pondering what to post on next and I have alot of thoughts here, so its kind of going to be a potpourri of things :)
First off, changing my competing date from October to May had some unexpected effects. I am truly ok with the decision, but I went through a mild depression and just felt lost like someone had blindfolded me and spun me around. I didn't expect that.

I didn't want to go to the gym AT ALL. I kept up the clean eating for fear of getting fatter, but I took a week off working out. It was sooo hard to go back, but after the first day I felt better. After the second day I felt I had some purpose again and now I'm all motivated again. I have found that motivation comes and goes and if I can just push through I will start to feel it again. I have found that the best cure for feeling unmotivated is to simply do something to move towards your goal, its almost magic how it works.

I realized with this week off how important habits are. They make something that takes lots of effort...seem easy. When you are in the habit of going to the gym everyday, preparing your meals and drinking all your water, theres no drama, you just do it. Break the habit though and suddenly you are fighting with yourself, making excuses and just not getting things done. Your life is a series of habits, make the right habits, you make the right lifestyle. What are your habits? Are they leading in the direction you want to go or in the opposite direction? One of my favorite quotes about habits is:

"Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become your character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."

another one is:

"First we make our habits, then our habits make us"

So I set some new goals. I have to have a goal, something to pull me along. I usually have to have BIG goals that make me hyperventilate when I think about them to keep the pizza out of my mouth and consequently off my butt and thighs :P

One is to do a photo shoot, since I will have to be in competition shape for that. I would love to have this done on the beach.

The second, I have no clothes hardly! I need a new wardrobe! Yay shopping! finally I will be able to wear clothes I LOVE rather then choosing clothing based on what I can hide in it, and.... is it black? because black is slimming so must wear black!

The third is summer and all that comes with it. I want to have fun this summer. I want to wear swimsuits and shorts and not be huffing and puffing along in long shorts and mens t-shirts. "My mother-in-law once said to me, oh you might like this, but its kind of girly, maybe its not your taste." I was like "dude! I don't wear this because its my style!" They don't make the clothes I like in this size :( lol I love pretty sparkly things!

Fourth... ( this is a post off my other blog I posted a few days ago) I have realized something. I have been thinking a lot lately on the process of dieting down to compete and then regaining only to diet down for the next competition. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I then ran into this article, which really fleshed out my thoughts on this. When I read this I was like YES! thats what I want!
I still want to compete of course, but I decided long ago that I would not give up the idea of what I want MY body to look like. I will not sculpt my body into something only the judges are happy with.
When the competition is over I don't want to put on 30 lbs, I want to maintain an incredible physique year round. Do I think I can be a fitness model? I have no idea, nor do I care, right now its about pleasing myself, looking in the mirror and loving what I see. Fitness modeling is highly competitive and not an easy thing to do. I won't close the doors on those ideas because who wouldn't like to be a fitness model? I say this because the article is kind of geared towards those who aspire to be fitness models. That however is not my focus. I need to see where I can take my body now, what it will look like at its best. To be the best I can be.

This truly has to become a lifestyle. The most motivating thing to me is not getting up on a stage in heels and a bikini, its having an amazing physique that turns heads everywhere I go. I don't want to have to wear a shirt that says "Figure Competitor" when I am not training for a competition in order for people to realize thats what I do. I also don't want to always be training for competition in order to stay in shape. I want to train for the joy of training. For me competing has always been a step to....... something, I haven't always known what, I just knew it would lead where I wanted to go and it has. A step to the body I want, a chance for me to prove I have the discipline and desire to do what it takes to compete and in turn to live the lifestyle. Could I handle the hard workouts, turning down food I love for a piece of dry chicken , the mental game? I am excited to see, and when I step on that stage for the first time I will be able to answer yes! I can!
I am all about the dream, because that in my opinion is whats carried me to where I am now, (that and Tony :D) Dream Big!!