Another Competition?

Originally my plan was to compete again in November 2014 at the Sandra Wickham Fall Classic, but I've recently started thinking about competing earlier.  I have not lost much muscle since my last competition (June 2012), and may have even gained some (although it's hard to tell at the moment).

Building muscle is the most time-consuming part of any competition.  It can take years to get a good muscle base in order to compete.  For my first competition, I trained hard and build muscle for a good 9-10 months before leaning out for the show.  To build muscle, you need to be in a calorie surplus, albeit a small one.  So it likely didn't hinder my goals that I was eating too much, but also weight training hard for quite awhile this time around.  I have some extra fat to shed, but I believe the muscle base is mostly there.

I have about 20 weeks until the Northern Classic in June, if I chose to compete earlier.  I ordered my shoes and started taking my diet plan a little more seriously.  I'm basically sticking with my original diet plan, but tracking my macros and trying to somewhat merge them together.  Worst case scenario, I won't get lean enough by that time (I'm not willing to go to extreme measures to drop the fat), and I'll do the show in November.

I also have a suit lined up that I will most likely buy.  A friend is selling it for a very reasonable price.

I'm feeling quite optimistic about this idea at the moment.  I am ready to start taking my diet and training more seriously again and get back into shape.  It doesn't hurt that a good friend is getting married in July and I'd like to fit into a cute bridesmaid dress!

And so it begins!

No Excuses

It's really easy to skip a workout due to any multitude of reasons.  I do it all the time.  But which "reasons" are really just excuses?

Take kids, for example.  My gym doesn't have childcare on weekends or holidays, so I definitely can't take my 2.5 year old with me, but what about the baby?  I decided to give it a try on Boxing Day and ran it by the girl at the front desk.  She was fine with babies in carseats or equivalent, just not kids running around getting into things.

I decided to do lower body, as upper body would've been more difficult to find safe exercises to do with the baby.

I got a killer leg workout, during which my baby fell asleep!  So I decided to prolong my workout rather than waking her up.  If she had been at home I would've rushed home to her and likely cut my workout short.

The next day, I went to the walking track with some family members and the girls.  If I go alone, I'll usually alternate between the two girls in the carrier (with the oldest I can run without worrying about jogging her around too much), in the jogging stroller, and the oldest running alongside.

There are plenty of legitimate reasons to not be able to make it out for a workout.  One of my resolutions is to look critically at whether my "reason" is really an excuse.

Happy New Year!

Getting Ready For a Party, Mom Style

I've had two company Christmas parties in the last week.  And I've noticed that there is a big difference in how I prepare for going out now that I have children.

Preparing for a night out - without kids:

1. Run a bath, pour a glass of wine, light candles, and put on some music.
2. Leisurely shave in the tub, soak, sing along to all your favourite songs, cleanse face, wash and deep condition hair.
3. Get out of the tub, towel dry, moisturize, pluck eyebrows and brush teeth.
4. Blowdry and style hair.
5. Try on every piece of clothing in your closet before deciding on the pieces you originally had in mind for the occasion.
6. Apply makeup.
7. Check the time.  Still another 25 minutes before you have to leave.  Pour another glass of wine.
8. Check Facebook, read a few articles online, and have a light snack.
9. Try on every pair of shoes you own just in case there is a pair that goes better with your dress than the pair originally chosen.
10. Decide on the pair you had originally chosen.
11. Head to the Christmas party 15 minutes early.  

Preparing for a night out - with kids:

1. Prepare dinner for the kids.
2. Sit the kids at the table and in high chairs and put their dinner in front of them.
3. Grab your curling iron and plug it into an outlet in the kitchen.
4. Take your phone away from the toddler and clean the food off of it.
5. Put your phone somewhere the toddler can't reach it.
6. Begin curling your hair.
7. Pick up all the food from the baby's lap and floor under her chair and put it back on her tray.
8. Continue curling your hair.
9. Tell your toddler to get off the table and leave the poinsettia alone.
10. Put down the curling iron and remove your toddler from the table.
11. Continue curling hair.
12. Give your screaming toddler a hug and settle her back at the table.
13. Continue curling hair.
14. Clean up the baby's face, hands, clothing, hair, and everywhere else she got food.  Put her down on the floor in front of some toys.
15. Continue curling hair.
16. Run to lock the baby gate at the top of the stairs the baby is heading towards.
17. Give up on curling hair and go to find some makeup.
18. Clean up the toddler's hands and face.
19. Glance at your watch and realize the sitter will be arriving in 5 minutes.
20. Turn on the TV.
21. Apply makeup and get dressed in 4 minutes flat.  Glance down at your legs and realize you haven't shaved recently.  Put on nylons.
22. Turn off the TV, give the sitter instructions and head for the door.
23. Realize you've forgotten your phone.
24. Search for your phone for 10 minutes before realizing you put it somewhere out of the toddler's reach.
25. Head to the Christmas party 15 minutes late.

As much as kids make it really difficult to get anything done, I love my kids, and if I had the choice to do it all over again, I sure would!

The Importance of Flexibility

No, not doing the splits.  Although kudos if you can do that!

I'm talking about not having such a rigid training program that you beat yourself up if you miss a day.  I've talked about flexible diet plans here, but I believe flexible training plans are equally important.  Because life happens.

For starters, when was the last time you switched up your training program?  In order to build more muscle, you should periodically "surprise" your muscles.  I have 3 upper body workouts and 3 lower body workouts, which I will typically do twice each before switching to another.  And if someone is using the equipment I "need" or I just feel like doing something different, I do.

But what about if you can't make it to the gym?  There are many different options for things you can do with kids or right in your home.  Some of my favourites are taking my girls with me to the walking track and doing some kind of home workout video in my living room.  And sharing a post-workout smoothie with my toddler, of course.

Life can be busy and things don't usually go as planned.  Injuries also happen, an you may have to take a break from exercise entirely.  As long as you keep eating properly you shouldn't be gaining fat or losing much muscle in a short amount of time.  And you can always resume working toward your goals when you are able again.

Personal Trainers: Good, Bad, and Downright Dangerous

There are an enormous number of people out there professing to be "experts" on training and nutrition.  It's hard to know who to listen to.  Here are a few tips I've discovered when looking for a trainer:

1. Look for someone with a thirst for knowledge and a desire to learn new techniques and try different ideas.  If they are constantly reading up on new techniques and research, they are a lot less likely to just be using the same program for every person who comes to them, and a lot more likely to be willing and able to work within a person's strengths and preferences.

2. Run far away if you see a very restrictive low-calorie diet plan.  Personal Trainers are NOT nutritionists.  They have some basic knowledge, but should not be doing any more than making general recommendations.  I highly recommend searching out a Registered Dietician in your area for sound nutritional advice.  You can search for Registered Dieticians in Canada at http://www.dietitians.ca/Find-A-Dietitian.aspx.

3. A good trainer will correct sloppy form and have recommendations to avoid injury whilst exercising. 

4. Find someone who has time for you.  If a trainer is fantastic, but they don't have time to answer a few quick questions when you're struggling, it's pointless to have one.

5. Anytime someone is constantly trying to sell you on a particular product or gimmick and is unwilling to make a general recommendation and let you choose your own product is probably a sales rep for that company.  This does not necessarily mean it's a bad product, but it doesn't mean it's a good or valuable product, either.  I find this to be a breech of trust between client and trainer.

Really, you want a trainer who has passion for what they are doing.  You can definitely tell if it is "just a job", or if a trainer is truly passionate about helping others.  And, to be honest, a bad trainer can be a lot worse than no trainer.

Good luck!

Running Shoes - An Injury Waiting to Happen?

Running shoes have been around for a long time, with the claim that they will help prevent injury.  And supposedly you have to replace them every 3 months to ensure the health of your body.  But what if your $150 running shoes are actually causing injury?

Hear me out.  When you run, what kind of method do you use?  Do you run landing hard on your heels and then rolling to the balls of your feet, or do you land lightly on the balls of your feet and push off slightly forward?  What about when you run barefoot along the beach?

Running shoes are rigid by design to "support" the foot.  But because they are rigid, it tends to make people land hard on the heels of their feet rather than lightly on the balls of their feet.  This rigidity found in almost all footwear these days can also lead to foot problems in some individuals.

Or at least, that is the claim made by barefoot shoe manufacturers.  It seems that not enough research has been done yet on the topic to either prove or disprove barefoot running as the healthier or less injury-prone method, but I'm willing to give it a whirl.

I have a pair of Vibram Fivefingers barefoot runners, and I like them so far.  But I have not used them for much more than short jogs or sprints.  I look forward to seeing some more research done on the topic.

Food for thought, anyways.

PPD - Myths vs. Reality

It's been a long journey for me to make this post.  The truth is, I struggled on and off with Postpartum Depression for months after the birth of my second baby.  Other than my husband, this is the first time I have actually admitted it to anyone.  My baby is now 7 months old, and I am finally feeling like I'm able to get out of the house and do some of the things I love once again.

There is a stigma attached to any kind of mental illness.  Here are some of the most common myths I've found about PPD (some of which I believed prior to struggling myself):

1.  Only "weak" people get mental illness. 

Obviously not.  But the "strong" ones are the ones who aren't to proud to ask for help.

2.  PPD only really affects moms who have nothing going for them.

I had a great career, a loving husband, a nice house and healthy kids.  So there goes that idea!

3.  Since depression is all in a person's head, they can just decide to get over it.

It's really not that easy.  And because it is "all in a person's head", there really needs to be an outside source to help them through it.

4.  You can tell when someone has PPD

The only way you can know for sure that someone has PPD is if they tell you.  Some people are very good at hiding their feelings.

5.  PPD only affects the occasional mom

Approximately one in four moms are thought to suffer from PPD at some point.  And many moms (myself included) never report it or seek professional help.  That's hardly occasional.

So what can we do about it?

If you are struggling with any kind of mental illness, talk to someone you trust about it at the very least.  You are a stronger person than I am if you have the guts to seek professional help, and I applaud you.

If you know a new mom well, come over to visit, hold the baby, and just be there for her.  Ask her how things are going (not with the baby, with HER) and really care about her answer.  I always craved someone to spill my guts to, but my pride always got in the way.