September Madness

Hi to all my friends and family. I hope September is treating you well! Perhaps you are thinking where has the time gone.  September is almost over and so is 2012 and yet I am busier than ever. My workouts have developed over time with more structure and consistency.  As I develop my bikini training goals I have over time come to terms with a more realistic approach to my training.  The more grounded and reasonable my goals are the more I can see this becoming a way of life for me permanently.  Currently my STS trainer works with me 2 out of the 4 days of weight training and I make sure I get 5-6 days of cardio (45 min on elliptical, stair master, or running) in addition to my weight training.  Trying always to ensure my cardio workouts are intense and consistent has been the largest reason for my current results. One of the most interesting aspects of training is the soreness that you endure.  I am sore every day, and every minute of that day.  I am currently trying to figure out how to live with this soreness.  I take supplements which aid in my recovery and I keep a large bag of Epsom salt for soaking for when it becomes unbearable but the one the thing I am currently working on is drinking more water.  Living in Arizona it is very common to be walking around dehydrated and not even know it  so when you add training to the equation this has to be a focus of mine. My initial goal was a gallon of water a day but that hasn't panned out too well for me this week.  I purchased a gallon of water on Monday morning and on Thursday afternoon I was still walking around with the same gallon of water.  I do believe I should knock it out today and start a new gallon especially with my new trick of putting a packet of Gatorade in my water to help my mental get over that I am drinking so much water.  I hope next week I can actually drink my gallons faster.

My goal is always to inspire and share any and all helpful information that I discover whether through research or from my personal experience.  Although I don't have much experience with competitions as of yet I find that there is scarce info online of what it takes or what one goes through in the beginning of this process.  Everywhere you look online it seems like it takes 12 weeks to transform a human body when really it can take up to a year or even years to transform.  My goal is simply to transform and sculpt and stay healthy while maintaining balance.  For me that means to make this experience as close to reality or my own personal norm while pushing my own limits.  I encourage all to find their own normal and that very well may look completely different from my normal.  Obviously a person who has kids or a person who travels for a living might have different processes to work through.  The most important thing is not how you do it but simply that you do it.

As I continue this journey I have learned something else that has been critical to my success and that is the importance of keeping a circle of friends that have similar interest.  My husband has been one of the key people who I share my fitness dialogue with and for that I am pretty fortunate to have someone who is just as interested in health if not more.  He majored in global health so topics can become global real fast and more than not I usually end up interested in what he is talking about.  My best friends and I share workout stories daily and help motivate each other with our fitness goals.  Anyone who knows me know that I love to share info (code for I think I know everything) but through this process I have also found that I love to teach however to teach you must live accordingly so for now that is what I will stick to.  I plan to continue to reinvent ways I can benefit from my own training and fitness.  I want to be better, work harder, and put myself to the test in every physical way!