Photo Shoot!!!

Oh my gosh I am so excited/nervous to write this blog!! I see these pictures and I get excited all over again, it really is so fun to feel like a famous model--and it's easy to feel that way when your photographer is one of the top dudes for bodybuilding.com. I should be pinching myself because I even know him!!

 

My purpose for this photo shoot was actually sorta on a whim. About two months ago I was really feeling good about myself. I was focusing on eating clean and training hard-- just like always, but someone made a comment about us girls who compete not looking like out competition photos. I speak for myself only in this blog. Not for a single soul else, I have only prepped for two shows and competed in one. I am in no way shape or form and expert in this area I am only recording my personal thoughts. But they are right, I do not look like my competition photos everyday, because I am not depleted. I eat sea salt, and i drink water--two things I didn't do leading up to my show. I was as bare bones lean and dry as I could get myself and not many people can maintain that look year round. It isn't healthy for most people to maintain that look for long periods of time, myself as prime example.

 

When I competed in the NGA Boise figure show in April of 2012, I looked so amazing. I placed last of all 5 of us girls on stage. That sucked, I wrote a blog about it--but regardless of my placing, I brought my best physique to that stage. I had never been more lean, shredded and ghetto momma fabulous than I was as I prepped for that show. I had a photo shoot then, (See the side pictures--I was 125 lbs in those picrtures at about 12% body fat I'd guesstimate).

 After the show, I did what a lot of people did. I ate too much crap, I felt a little uneasy in my own skin, and I felt lost for a couple of months. And then I got buuuusy with work. Busy at the gym training clients and teaching people how to make fitness and health work for their lifestyle. And somewhere during that time I realized, what a bad A$$ us fit chicks are. It's hard out there for fit chicks (I read a blog someone else wrote, can't remember who and that was the tittle, I loved it--always wanted to say that in my one of my own blogs ever since). We are looked at, admired, looked down upon and held to a higher expectation. We hold ourselves to a higher set of rules too I think, or I personally do. But what I realized over this period of time is that MY body is not genetically capable of walking around at 125 lbs shredded and that lean unless I am dieted down for show. I wish it were. I love that look. I coveted that look for a long time, and I still do sometimes wonder why I can't have that when I work so hard....but then I remember what I DO have, and how much I love what I do DO, and I am able to let go of the unrealistic expectations that I set for myself.

 I was going to do a photo shoot the next week. I was ready. I told Levi, I wanted to do a "Everyday shoot," what my healthy, strong body looks like 265 days out of the year. It didn't work out to do it for a month, so I had to wait and I did watch what I ate a bit.
This is me at 15% body fat and 143 lbs, and I have maintained between 15-17% for the past two years. Where do I carry the majority of that fat? Right in my stomach so of course I didn't do many shirtless photo shots. I covered up my worst areas and tried to accentuate my best areas. What I have learned over the past year is that we all have our "hard" spots, and we all have our "easy/good spots," so instead of wishing away my saggy stomach skin, I try to love it--and I push the crap out of my triceps and legs because they are my natural strong areas. (I think athletic body fat range is 16-18% for a female and 18-22% is healthy for a female)

 I loosely carb cycledish for this photo shoot. Nothing hardcore. I ate oatmeal and eggs for breakfast everyday (my favorite meal) and still had fruit. I just did 3 lower carb days with a higher carb day. I still took a treat meal every week, and if something was there that I wanted--like those freaking amazing truffles at Anneka's wedding-- (The weekend before this shoot!!! lol) I ate them, and I liked it. I did nothing extreme to get ready for these pictures. I did only drink 1 gallon of water the day before where I usually would drink a little more, I didn't.  I did get a spray tan, which always makes me feel like I look leaner for some reason than I actually am.

 These are a few of my favorite every day shots. I specifically did exercises that show off my better areas and avoided things that show off my worse areas (Sooo,,, notice there are none sitting down? Yah, not good for saggy stomachs lol). I wanted to show people what an everyday girl in fitness looks like. I want you to see what I do! I do a lot, but I also try very hard not to make my whole life revolve around the gym and my food because I want to raise healthy well balanced children who see me live the life I want for them.

I exercise 5 days a week. I can't tell you the last time I missed a workout, before I went on vacation 6 weeks ago. I missed 3 workouts and I physically had to force myself to not do them. I really really like to workout. Where other people maybe have a favorite tv show, or pinterest, or girls night--I have the gym. It's my thang. I work hard while I am there but it is my zone. I train for about 90 minutes three days a week and two days a week I train for an hour. I get my workout in whether it is convenient or not. I have to pay babysitters sometimes now that I got excommunicated from Idaho atheletic haha), I get up at 4:30 am someday's, I go at 800 pm someday's. My workouts don't happen because I have extra time, they happen because I make the time, every day. I eat clean 95% of the time. I rarely eat processed food, but when I do-- I enjoy it and I try very hard not to feel guilt over it. I eat mainly plain food. I am not a super good cook so a lot of my food is somewhat boring and that works for me. I will tell you now, that some people--who are genetically different than me would be extremely shredded year round following my regimen, it is NOT in the cards for me. I often wonder what I would look like if I went back to just eating whatever fancied me at the moment and didn't train hard like I do--I really think I would be about 165 lbs very easily, where I maintain between 140-145 and have for the past several years. I eat 5-6 meals a day, drink a diet soda everyday and I also drink over a gallon of water each day.

I of course picked these pictures, because I feel like I look good in all of them. I like them, and I feel confident in them. However there were about 90 others that I felt less confident when I saw. They are an unflattering angle on my face, (double chin...yo?!!). Some have an odd expression. Some are of my bare stomach that is MINE. It is soft and it has stretch marks on it. Some of them just aren't a really good fitness shot and so I didn't love them. But it's important for people to realize that every picture you see on tv, in the ads, or in magazine articles are that models PERFECT shot. And after the publishers find the models PERFECT shot, they air brush it. They take off stretch marks, they add some shadows here tighten the hamstrings, they are capable of making it look HOWEVER they want. I purposely on my shoot last year at 125 lbs didn't have Levi correct my stretch marks even though I am self conscious of them because they are THERE. There is nothing I hate more than when people say they love their body and you should too--and then have their stretch marks photoshopped out of their stupid pics. (NO LIE! I read that in an Oxygen magazine cover story about the model saying how normal she was cuz she even has stretch marks from her kids all over her stomach...weird??? You couldn't see them in the pictures!! FALSE advertising dangit!!! wow, rant over there)! I purposely am not having him photoshop anything out of these pictures either. He will fix lighting, I guess (Even though I don't really think they need it, I liked all his work--I just wanted his model to have a 6 pack in some of the pictures hahaha).

We all have things we want to change about ourselves. We all have days where we feel like a million bucks and other days where we want to hide under a rock because we don't feel good about how we look or who we are. That's part of being human. I am trying so hard everyday, to accept my flaws and celebrate my perfections. And at the end of the day- that is my mission as the fit chick mom--to help you realize that you can be your best self, and that is PERFECT in every way. I want us to compare to ourselves only, to stop living in regret. To learn to love to be healthy and fit, and to enjoy life while being a part of real life, not locked away in diet land.

Here is me being super brave. I am just going to upload pictures from the shoot. None have been airbrushed, but I am going to pick several at random and show you how different they are from the ones I love, above, to the ones below--that aren't my favorite. No screening will be done, just random clicks and then I will talk a little about each, or I wont. Depends on how I feel when I see what uploads I guess. (And don't forget to scroll down to the next two posts, where there are pictures before and after make up and hair too...)

Remember. WE GOT THIS. Gotta keep going. Keep doing. Keep being our best self and helping those around us be their best self too.

 Ok I don't know how those two popped up cuz they don't really bug me at all but the next one. Oh wow. I can't stop looking at my stomach. It is not the way one would picture a super fit girls stomach to look.

 CELLULITE. Everyone has got to stop freaking out over cellulite. There are a lot of us in the fitness world who have embraced it. It is normal for men and women to have some of it. Some of it will never go away. I have it right there on the hamstrings--and my legs are one of my best features--yet they have some cellulite. Other people, a lot of people with amazing stomachs that I sometimes try not to covet, have even more cellulite on their legs. You don't see it in the magazines do you? Yah, that's cuz its photoshopped.

 Forgot to hold my stomach in tight here on my lunge.

 LOL trying to breathe. I was getting tired from two lunges at a time!! Levi probably wondered if I even workout but in my defense it was like 90 degrees in there and I was sweating profusely before we even started taking pictures.

 

 Not the best expression for a push up picture? I don't know. I am obviously not an experienced model. Levi really was amazing though and helped cue me so much. I can't believe all the behind the scenes work that goes into these photoshoots. He really is amazing!

 My least favorite here for sure. My four upper abs are almost visible here and that lower stomach just really bugs me. Ah well. Those babies were worth it! And I feel like my face is really round. Which is why I try to tilt my head to the side in picutures.

and she transforms

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Photo Shoot Prep

About two months ago I got this super brave idea that I wanted to do a photo shoot that was a portrayal of my "everyday look." We see all these amazing pictures of women with hard, flat, muscled bodies and they look absolutely incredible--and they are absolutely a piece of art. They take time, consistency, and dedication to achieve the look they present to the camera and stage and I love that look. Love it.
The one thing that I have come to realize though, is that my body--my genetics do not allow me to be that hard and incredibly chiseled looking -- like I was in my show pictures or my photo shoot from last year--every day of the year. If I dedicated a good 15 weeks to be in show prep mode I would be freaking chiseled as hell and I would look damn good. My strength would be a bit down and I might be a "Tad" grumpy from the rigorous intense diet and training that comes with it.
So I wanted to show what I personally look like in the off-season of show prep. I am a mom, wife, I work, and I do normal mommy wife duties. I also make my training a priority--I train in the gym on average 5 days a week, sometimes getting up before 4 am to fit in my sweat sessions. I eat extremely clean year round. I don't follow a strict meal plan(although I have done that plenty in my time!!) at this point in my journey but I am very mindful to get adequate protein, carbs and fats in to my diet to keep my body balanced and functional. I train to be an athlete. I do a bit of cardio (not typically ever over half an hour 4 days a week--although the past two weeks I did do 30 minutes 5 days a week). I love to lift heavy and hard and be sloppy sweaty when I am done.



I have issues with my body just like everyone else does. I am insecure as all heck about my stomach--the area right below my belly button and right above my "Chotch" its wrinkly and saggy from those two little monkeys I carried in my belly for 15 months time. I want a tummy tuck super bad, and I'll be honest--this time next year I hope to have one.
In my journey to be my best self I have learned to read my body more clearly than ever before. Finding out that it responds physically and I mentally, best to a higher fat diet (think nuts, oils etc) and lower carbs where I time them around my training. This is quite honestly the best my stomach has looked outside of prep, ever and I am extremely happy with the progress. I am even more happy with the mental health that is in all these pictures behind the 4 abs at the top and behind that amazing tricep poking out the back of my arm. I am truly at a happy place with my body and appreciate it for what it does and can continue to do for me as I treat it right.



My husband is my best guy. We love to workout together and eat healthy yummy food. Food is a part of our lives and we try to keep it healthy, but interesting to instill a love for health in our young children.


In order to 'prep' for this shoot I ate as much healthy clean real food as possible. I drank a protein shake a day and when I was in a pinch I ate a protein bar! I had a treat meal once a week or so and the last month I alternated my food doing lower carb days followed by a higher carb day and it was a really good experiment for my body. I enjoyed eating this way and I never once felt overwhelmed or freaked out about not having anything, because if I wanted something, like those two truffles at a wedding last weekend, I ate them-- without guilt or worry or stress and you know what? Those truffles look good on my body! Lol. I decided to run last week for the first time a distance(rather than the sprints I always do and love), just to see if I could do it. I kicked that runs butt-- 3 miles in 30 minutes--which isn't fast for some, but I was very pleased that I could run for 30 minutes without stopping. I bench pressed 95 lbs for 2 reps, I increased my leg press for 12 reps and I can still do my 7 pullups. For those of you who have prepped, you know that as you get further and further in--your energy plummets and you no longer are able to train for personal bests--so I was proud of these. I road bikes with my kids and raced my dog a few times, whenever they wanted to. 


My boss Shawna spray tanned me Friday and so now I am a beautiful bronzed muscle babe getting ready for my shoot in a few hours. I want to remind everyone, that as you see these pictures these are MY body. They are going to look much different that what your body would look like at my same 15% body fat because all of us hold on to that fat we do have, in different places. I just want you to realize that this is an attainable body. I don't spend 3 hours in the gym, but rather an 1-1 and 1/2 hours 5 days a week. I eat clean, but I don't deprive myself and I don't skip out on family dinners or parties because I can't eat what everyone else is eating. I do my best 90% of the time, and 9 times out of 10--when I am faced with an option to eat something unclean, if I want it, because I LOVE it (cookies or Mexican food) I eat it, but if I don't love it (fried foods, brownies) I skip them--because food doesn't rule my world. I do. and I am a dang good ruler.


These are my outfits I picked for my shoot. I shopped an entire day at the Nike outlet store, Dicks, Sports Authority and the mall finding NOTHING I loved. I was willing to spend whatever (you know that crap is spendy!!!) because it is for this special photoshoot and I wanted to look and feel good--and I ended up with my old nike shorts, my old Old Navy pants and a few new tank tops from good ol Wal-Mart. The tank tops actually make me laugh, because in all honesty, they are what I wear most days to the gym. My $6.00 tank tops in 4 different colors lol.

It's go time. I am going to go get showered and get ready for my pictures and I will keep yall posted on how it goes!
s,

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Turning My Cheek

I want to preface this post with a couple of things, first of all being that I feel a great sense of pride that of all the 400 posts that have been published on this blog or my facebook account over the past 3.5 years, this is the first with a negative vibe. I am an extremely optimistic person and I dwell on the positive. I feel like after such a long journey of contention with this place of business, it is my duty to tell my truth--my side to the story. I want people to know WHY a year and a half ago, I stopped teaching my bootcamp class twice a week without a word of what happened, and I want everyone else--my loyal followers to know what has been said and to clear my name. This is the only post that will be dedicated to this subject matter as I am moving on. I do not deal well emotionally, spritually, or even physcially with contention. This is an open blog, free for anyone to see and I urge you to leave comments if you feel like you can do respectfully and tastefully. I will leave any and all up that are kept respectful no matter what they say--as long as they are true.Sometimes the only person in this world that will stand up for you--IS YOU.* Thank you, my friends and family for helping to continue pushing me to be my best self, and a better coach and cheer leader for you. xoxxx


Sooo it has been a crazy past week for this girl. Not going to lie!! I wrote this post New Adventures last March, and because I felt like at the time I should be professional and not discuss details, I never told the story of exactly what happened and why. I hate drama. I hate contention. I am a stay at home mother of two/health advocate and I literally work outside of my home 15 hours a week at the maximum.

Well, I still feel like I should be responsible and professional but I also feel like I did myself a large diservice by not explaining my side to the story--and not proving that what had been said about me was not only untrue, but unjustified and unfair. My heart is heavy. I feel like I have been singled out and bullied and discriminated against. I feel like I am the fat girl in 7th grade who everyone is talking about. This really sucks.

Last March I had just wrapped up yet another of my weight loss competitions on THIS blog. I have ran multiple competitions and it so happened that in March, I was targeted by a couple of personal trainers at the Idaho Athleltic Club in Caldwell. Apparently they had decided to not only read and discuss my personal weight loss blog, but to go to the manager, Travis and tell him that I was stealing from the club. I was working at the club. I was teaching bootcamp twice a week and spending countless time before and after class speaking with people from my class about how to improve their weight loss journeys. Never, never NEVER once did I try to personal train (I was only a boot camp instructor I had NEVER personal trained a client, didn't even know HOW!)a person, nor did I ever recommend them go elsewhere or anything of that nature. A lot of people in the class were not even aware that I had a weight loss blog. Travis called me into his office, with my supervisor Sabra and told me that because I was stealing out of his pocket by making $15 per person in my weight loss competition (remember, this is the first competition I had run where I started making ANY profit on it--AND there were maybe 7 people doing the competition, none who were members of the class at this point (there were some that were doing my previous challenges, where I had made NO profit). These were family, friends, and people that I go to church with that were weighing in weekly. Sabra had asked when Travis said I'd be fired, if we could wait and talk to the owners and he said "yes sure, but I know what Cheryl will say--she will be done. She stole" I told Sabra and Him I was not going to work somewhere I wasn't wanted. All I wanted to do was help people achieve their health and fitness goals--I did not sign up for this contention and it certainly was not worth the 10$ hour I was making--so around $80 per month from IAC. I had previously asked Travis in the months prior if he were interested in hiring me as a personal trainer--he said that he wasn't and I needed to be certified before he would even think of it. When I told Travis during this meeting that I was just trying to help people and I had promoted IAC on facebook as well as my blog in many many posts, -I asked Travis if he had read those? Yes he did, he told me and He'd love to have a trainer doing what I am doing (running a blog and being an advocate for health for so many) but because I made 15$ per person that month I took money out of his pocket.

I was hurt and angry and I so so wanted to explain myself. However I chose to keep quiet. Countless people texted, emailed and came up to me personally and asked exactly why just my next Tuesday I wasn't there to teach, and I simply smiled and said I had chosen to explore new avenues in the health and fitness industry. I never spoke ill of the establishment, even having my membership paid in full by my part time place of employment where they deduct my membership dues from my paycheck biweekly. It was at this point I paid for daycare for one month unlimited that was around 35$. I love the daycare. Mary and the girls who work in there are nothing short of amazing. They love my kids and all the others. They take care of them and make them feel like it is real daycare-- My children have learned and flourished and I feel safe having them there. So I continued to work out there. When I went to pay for my second month daycare, the front desk people told me I had paid for unlimited for a year when I paid last months daycare . I assured them I had only paid one month and that I needed to pay. They wouldn't take my money. I called my dad, I called my husband, I called Sabra (who was devastated I wasn't working for her anymore) none of them had paid. I went straight to Travis, asked what I needed to do and that I hadn't paid. He went through the system and copied off the receipt that said I had paid in full for daycare for 1 year. What the crap? I do not understand. That was that. So after month of using the daycare under unlimited, with the receipt they gave me, a year later, Travis had been fired, a new great nice friendly manager hired (Shaun who has since moved to managing the Nampa club), now there is some new guy named Lee. All of a sudden they are telling me my daycare was not paid for and he is checking in with Mary like I am a thief. She stood up for me and said that my husband and I had tried to take care of this multiple times, I even had the printed receipt from Travis that he gave me. I tried to tell them.

So, at this point I am just beyond frustrated  Working out is as much a part of my life as brushing my teeth and reading scriptures. I just want to work out in peace. My husband went in, talked with Lee, and got the daycare monthly fee to start coming out of our account monthly. This was fixed. However, each time I went in, Kathy the front desk person would complain of how she has to sign Jared in every time I bring my kids because he is the main person on the account. So after several days of this, she tells me to scan Jared's card it will be easier to sign the kids in. So I do that--not thinking or realizing that the my husbands employer reimburses us for part of our membership if Jared works out 8 times in a month. The next thing I know Kathy is telling me that she has to do something different because I am signing Jared in and its messing with the Caldwell system. "OK WTF!?!?!?" Is this lady friggin bipolar? Jared was called in to speak with his office people and exactly what it looked like was we were trying to yet again, steal.

I am sorry. But I am the most honest person out there. Ask anyone, I am too honest. I ask permission on the smallest of things because I have worked my a$$ off all my life to keep my reputation worthy of the respect that it holds. This is just about to send me over the edge and of course my husband was extremely upset because this could have gotten him fired on the spot. Interesting enough, Kathy knew from the very beginning this would happen, she knew that his work reimbursed this, she knew full well as the secretary exactly what the scenario was and I believe she did this to try and cause yet more problems for me. The next time I went in I to check in with the front desk and get my daycare receipt, I told Lee what was going on and how irritating it is to have to always deal with something. He said it would be easy to change me to the main person so this wouldn't be such an ordeal. That was fixed according to him, but again the next time Kathy checked me in, low and behold she didn't see that Lee had fixed anything.

So now full circle comes around. I have been friendly and kind to everyone in the IAC, one of the trainers--John has even asked me twice over the past 6 months to apply for a training position there because I would be such a great fit. Sabra text me two months ago and asked if I'd be interested in subbing there now that Travis was gone, she was going to see if she could get special permission that even though I work for at a different gym part time-- if it would be ok for me to just sub there. I called my boss, right away and he said he didn't care if I wanted to do it-- but after praying about it I called Sabra and told her that I didn't feel like it would be right. I do promote my business on facebook and on this blog, I post uplifting, motivational stuff and I also post progress pictures of my amazing clients journeys. I specifically said that I would feel like I needed to stop doing that if I subbed for her so I thanked her for the offer but it wouldn't work.

Fast forward again. Two months ago the county began the well known Canyon County Fitness challenge--which I volunteered to work as a private trainer out of my gym that I work at-- my hours of work to work the booth and multiple bootcamps with absolutely no reimbursement. I ran these bootcamps and did it just to give people a feel for what a weight training session would look like. IAC also had a booth there. I spoke there friendly with John, who was working the booth. We talked and joked no big deal. I think Jon is a good trainer. And when I was approached later in IAC by one of their clients from the weight loss challenge and I QUOTE "Pat told me to do like an hour or so of cardio a day, and to avoid weight training until I lose more weight, do you agree cuz that doesn't sound right to me." I responded and I QUOTE "I think Pat is a great trainer, but I disagree with that. I told her she could look at my blog and look for free tips or even come check out my facility if she wanted, but if I were her, I'd request to switch trainers and that John is a great one there and he could help her reach her goals."

End of story. I have 8 clients. Currently ONE of my active clients works out at Idaho Athletic Club, not a single other client does. However, I did pick up a guest pass for one of my clients who is interested in joining the club, as well as my cousin and her family signed up for IAC on Tuesday of this past week. Months ago two of my clients had told me Pat was asking them to stop training with me and get a real trainer, like him. This irritated me, but I said nothing. I unfriended him on facebook and instead of talking and joking with him like I always have done, I chose to smile and say hi but no more, because HE was trying to steal my clients. I did not express any anger or irritation towards Pat with those clients, I just said "hmm,. that's interesting." I want my relationships with clients to be professional, and trash talking another trainer or anyone for that matter is not my idea of professionalism, however--this was an example of me turning the other cheek because I wanted to pounce on him and every negative thing I have ever seen him do at the IAC training clients).

Yesterday on my way into train my three afternoon clients I returned a missed call from Kathy at IAC, I thought I must have forgotten something in the locker room. There had been no contention, no happening no nothing that made me think otherwise. She informed me, very matter of factly that my membership was being revoked--my husband and kids were still welcome there but I was not. When I asked why she told me that several clients had told them I was trying to recruit them. I of course was shocked because I have NEVER done this. I have never approached a single person and asked them to train with me, mentioned I was a trainer NOTHING. I am professional and caring and super concience about what people think of me and my integrity. I told her that my husband and I would be in to talk to the manager or corporate or whatever because this had not happened and it wasn't true. She told me she didn't know if corporate knew yet, but it was happening. And she didn't say "I was successful at recruiting clients, but that I was trying and several members had told them that."

I called my husband frantic. Not only have I been fired a year and a half ago. Which, did I mention I have literally never been in trouble before. I am humiliated. What kind of a 28 year old wife and mother gets fired and or kicked out of a gym?! This is insane. I have been bullied. They decided they didn't like me and they did anything they could think of to make my life hell. My whole life! This is ridiculous  My husband called Kathy and asked to speak to Lee the manager, she said he wasn't there and didn't know about the situation so to call Skye at the corporate office.

Come again? The front desk secretary revokes memberships now? Interesting, that seems like something a manager would take care of doesn't it?

After Jared spoke to Skye, Skye knew nothing of the matter. He agreed that it sounded like these people were discriminating me, why did they even look at my blog? Why do they care what I am doing? Skye specifically said Kathy had no authority to do this and he assured Jared he would get to the bottom of this and if he hadn't heard back by 2 pm today (Wednesday), to call him. When Jared did that Skye told him that Shaun had in fact revoked my membership and Jared should leave him a voicemail and he'd get back to him.

A friend from IAC texts me and says and I QUOTE "Hey, so I heard what happened at the gym and I want you to know that I am ticked and I can't believe they did this to you. I will really miss seeing you......I know you are an awesome person." I messaged back that I still had no clue what happened and I was really sad she said "Kathy told someone, who told her that  PAT (freaking LIAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) overheard me trying to recruit a member to come train with me at your work." I am curious as to any evidence of this, especially since like I said, I have avoided Pat like the plague since he started talking trash about me to my clients, and I also have never spoken to a soul about coming to train with me. Any and all clients that I have trained or am currently training are people that I have met through facebook/or have had consultations with my boss and he has then given me the client to train in his facility.

I have since spoken with Pat and he has reassured me that this is untrue and he never told Kathy any of that. This is the guy who asked my friend last week if everything was ok with me because I don't talk to him anymore. The guy who said to me last week in joking "don't kid yourself Teri, John (who had asked me to go through a free workout with him) wont work legs with you (meaning do my leg workout) because he never works legs lol. This is the guy who smiles gives high fives and says hi to me every day.  I can't believe this has happened. I can't believe this long line of drama. I know to some people they say wipe your hands of it and move on. I would love to. But my reputation is on the line as a member of society, as a trainer, as a mother and as a wife. My life revolves around the gym and I LOVE the daycare, my kids are young and I need a daycare for them for me to be able to be the best trainer I can be--training myself has got to be my utmost priority, and it is. I have one other choice of a facility with a daycare in my town, and it happens to be a place where my husband and I feel is an unsafe environment for our family to be at leisure at.

I am devastated  I can't believe that I have worked so hard, going from an overweight unhappy mom to now a super fit advocate of healthy body and mind. I have given countless hours of my time and energy to people because I LOVE it. I love watching people find their sweet spot and start killing their goals one by one. It is a natural high for me and the implications and things that have been said about me are so hurtful, regardless of the fact that they are lies with no truth to stand on.

Jared had his final conversation with Shaun on the phone Monday, where Shaun wished him well, apologized for the incident with Jared's work and said we would receive a full refund of what was remaining on our contract, which I deposited as soon as we received it and will pay in full for our new membership at our new gym.

Again, this is the truth as it has been done and said to me. I have no control over whether in fact Kathy lied and made up that Pat had told her this. I really want to believe that he wouldn't have done this to me--but here I am, without a gym membership and with my name being trashed in the valley that I have worked hard to make a name for myself in. Bad things happen to good people, and I can't control anything but my own actions and reactions--but that doesn't mean this doesn't suck so so bad going through it.

Summer Bootcamp

Is anyone interested in doing a summer bootcamp with me? It'll be $% a person again and held at a local park....let me know if you want to give-er-ago!!!

summer!!

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Pi$$ed

Ok ok here it comes. A few of you expect it and a few of you wonder what the heck is wrong with me but I gotta tell you I am fired up right now.

I am so so so sick of all this distorted body image crap that is rampant. I do not understand why this stupid crap is going on in the age of technology in 2013. We are not stupid, we are not naive,  we absolutely know how the pictures, how the ads, how the tv works. They take a body (a male or female body) and they freaking change it. They freaking change it ok?!!?

The models do NOT look like that. I am in  a gym where they train fitness competitors year round, I have trained for a fitness competition  I KNOW personally what 13% body fat looks like on me and I know what 8-10% looks like on other women. These girls look freaking ripped out hot and better than any model in a magazine. You know what? If their trouble area is their butt, they still have cellulite. If their stomach is their trouble area, it is not all the way tight. When was the last time you saw a magazine with a model in it, at an extremely low body fat level still showing a bit of her cellulite, or her stomach sag, or her back arm looking less than completely perfect?

You haven't because the magazines fix that crap!

The women in those pictures do not really look like those pictures. Sure they're close. Sure they work their butts off and feed their families by scoring those photo shoots-- and YOU! and ME! Are trying to look like them 365 days a year and we will try this and we will try that, and when this and that and the other thing doesn't work and make us look like that--

We talk mad crap to ourselves. We beat the heck out ourselves. We aren't thin enough. We have cellulite. We never eat that. We always do this and we never do that. Why can't we just look like them? We do what they say they do in their little biography page thingy. Gosh dangit stop doing that! We are all striving to look like a fitness and or model, who doesn't look like the ads she is standing in, who earns her living making her body look, the way it is.

What do you do for a living? Oh, your a teacher? That's so great. Thanks for spending so much time, unpaid making our future generations think. Thank you for striving to teach them things they aren't learning at home. Thank you for sacrificing a pay check so you can better the future of our country. Thank you. Now tell me again, what's that "you still have cellulite" Who the eff cares? Everyone has cellulite. Even guys have cellulite. Do you eat healthy? Do you exercise regularly? Do you get enough rest? Do you drink alcohol in moderation?

If the answers to those questions are yes, why are you telling yourself you should look like a model? You gotta modeling gig on the side? No, you don't. You have a husband/wife who wants to jump your bones all the time, you have children that think you are the most beautiful creation in the world, you have people around you looking to you to TEACH them something. They aren't looking to see if you have cellulite for hell's sake.

I am not just talking to YOU, or YOU. I am talking to myself as much as anything. I saw a video of myself today, that my husband took in the gym of my 7 pull ups. I look at the video and I think to myself that that girl looks freaking amazing. Freaking strong. Freaking unstoppable. And then I realize it is me and I can not for the life of me, understand why I don't see that when I look in the mirror. All that I look at is my saggy skin stomach. When I look down that's what I see as well. It's so dang dumb.

Another girl, that I am friends with from a close circle of fitness minded women across the country I KNOW thinks she is ginormous. She has lost a butt ton of weight and she is still trying to figure out how to lose more weight and today she posts a collage of pics of her cute clothes on a budget and I am literally in AWE of how beautiful and fit this girl looks. She looks amazing. Yet, I know, she thinks she looks fat. Damnit she isn't fat. She isn't even close to fat. She is sexy sizzling hot. And she has worked so so hard to get where she is and instead of flaunting her tight a$$ around, she is trying to figure out what to do next to keep losing. She doesn't need to lose. She needs to focus on the freaking journey she has been on, be grateful and proud, and realize that the reflection she sees in the mirror is a dang liar--and she is so much different appearing than she thinks she is. It makes me mad, and makes me sad.

Why can I see the beauty in all of you so clearly? Why can I look at you and tell you 10 things off the top of my head that are beautiful and healthy about you, but when I ask YOU about yourself, you can barely think of one. In fact, the first thing that comes to your mind is the number that stupid scale told you you weighed.

You know what:? I haven't weighed myself in two weeks. You know why? Cuz it stresses me out. I eat clean, I eat to fuel my body every day and enjoy a treat from time to time. I train 5-6 days a week. I make goals and accomplish them. I work. I take care of a beautiful family that for some reason I got lucky and they chose me, and I get focused on what a number says. Its like in the beginning, I needed to weigh all the time, because I would see how much I could get "by with" a little snack here or a little snack there and then if the scale didn't go up it was ok. But now, now health is just my goal. And kicking a$$ in the gym is my goal. So my lifestyle is as balanced approach as I can get while loving that part of my lifestyle and loving to have a normal life where my kids and I cook a normal dinner together at night and we all eat together. I'm no longer half committed  I am fully committed and so when I think about getting on the scale I really articulate if I am going to be unbiased when I get on there and take it as a number, or if I am going to let it effect me--what I am training, how I am training, what I am eating, how I am spending my time with my family. And if the answer isn't "no it wont affect me", I simply don't get on.\

Now that's me. And I am 3.5 years into my journey. A lot of you are just starting out, trying to establish good habits. Most of my clients, you need to weigh in weekly, you need to follow a plan until we get you where you want to be. And then we maintain. Maintenance can be the easiest thing in the world, or it can be the hardest thing in the world. Depending on how you get where you are going. If you are willing to take the high road, work hard, eat right and follow the plan--when you get there the transition is simple. But if you are doing what you are doing, hating every second of it, and so excited to get to goal so you can go back to your old life--it wont work. It'll just be another check off the list. Another time you feel defeated like nothing works for you. It has to be a lifestyle.

And when you're ready to make it that lifestyle, everything becomes more simple. You don't fret over details, you will come to love who you are and where you have come from because it will have shaped the new you. You will learn to stop judging yourself for what you aren't and start appreciating yourself for what you are. You will realize how strong you are mentally and physically and you will understand that you are so much more than just what the scale tells you your number is. You will realize you are beautiful, because of how you look on the outside, for who you are on the inside, and for what you are capable of accomplishing at the end of the day.

The possibilities are endless. You can teach yourself to be/do anything you want to. You just have to settle in and get your mind right. Realize its gonna be work and if you look at it like that--you are going to be a sexy beast "doin work" and you better be dang proud of yourself because YOU DESERVE to be your own biggest chearleader. You deserve to be happy and healthy and you are worth the time it takes to achieve that. Not perfection. Aim for your best-- and that my friends, will be YOUR PERFECTION.

You got this. Keep going.

Why Should YOU lift weights?

You should lift weights to get hott, obviously!!

But why else?

I'll be 100% honest here, so there are like a zillion articles written on the world wide web that are all technical and scientific about the reasons why YOU should lift instead of just doing the boring ol dreadmill or the beast of a stair climber for exercise--BUTT I hate reading that crap. It's like, I don't even want to read an article that is all that glycogen, basic metabolic rate, BMI, energy stores, macronutrients yada yada crap-- and I certainly don't want to write it either. So this is the world according to the fit chick mom, and of course I have to add my sass to it or it wouldn't be a true rant from yours truly.

First of all while you are sleeping you burn calories. Did you know that? Why you are sitting on your booty doing nothing you are burning calories, this is called that basic metabolic rate or BMR. The more of your frame that is made up of muscle, the more calories your body naturally burns--get that--while doing nothing. So you are 140 lbs of fat or you are 140 lbs with more muscle and whichever you choose determines how many calories a day you get to burn while watching your favorite tv show.

Why burn calories? Well to get hott, obviously.

And to lose weight. Calories equal pounds but it isn't just as simple as calories in vs calories out like all those other stupid weight loss programs try to trick you into believing. TRUST ME. 1500 calories of food is completely different than 1500 calories of meal replacement foods. mmmk?!?! Also, we don't want to just burn calories-- we want to burn FAT right? You want to have less fat on your body? Stop doing all that cardio, it makes your body VERY VERY nervous, so it holds onto that fat you have to make sure you aren't going to starve it. It literally makes it harder to lose weight when you do so much cardio--not to mention, you can't build lean muscle when you are doing all that, it just uses your muscle and BURNS your most prized possession off your poor little body. Don't be that girl. Just don't.

(Side rant, I know you are nervous at the gym at first, and you think that you look less conspicuous at the gym on the elliptical for 2 hours, but you don't. You just look nervous. Just venture over to the weight area, ask a trainer, or ask the most fit person who looks like they know what they are doing (preferably one that looks like they wont kill you though, there are some of THOSE in the gym). Remember, everyone in the gym started somewhere--and only 5% of the people in there look fit all the time, most of them have to work really hard to look the way they look).

So we don't want to cardio our bodies to death, unless of course we are training for a marathon or a triathalon. Then we should cardio to death as well as strength train so we can have stronger muscles to push our bodies through the distance more efficiently and quickly.

What does weight training do for our bodies besides help us get hott, burn more calories, and push us through our daily activities?

It makes you stand up taller. Seriously. Like, when you have muscle on your body you can hold your body up better. Have a back ache? Could be because your body is too heavy for you to carry around all day. Weight training also builds muscle around your bones--ya know, those fragile little things that break from time to time when you fall down on your hip, or when you fall off your bike? The more muscle you have on your body, the more protection you have for your pretty little bones. Think of it as body armour!! That sounds so beastly huh? BODY ARMOUR!! (Ladies over 50, I know I KNOW! You think you are too old to lift weights, you don't know what you are doing, lifting is for boys yadayada NO!! Stop it! You need to lift weights so you can be CERTAIN you aren't going to have to deal with osteoporosis!!! FO-REAL! 50 is the new 30 so walk that sexy body up into the gym and make it sexier!!) Next, we want a tight body right? How many of you get out of the shower and think to yourself "I wish that didn't HANG like that?" We all do it. Well the more muscle you have on your body frame the tighter your body looks. Seriously. It is all high and tight and nice! With cardio and calorie restriction you can make your body a smaller version of exactly what it looks like right this minute, but with weight lifting you can reshape your body and change it.

Body reshaping that works? SIGN YOU UP!! No wrap necessary!
Want a booty? BUILD IT! With squats and lunges!
Want a quad to poke out? BUILD IT!
Want calve that poke out the back of your legs? BUILD EM!
(GUYS!) Want a chest that sticks out in your tshirts? BUILD IT!
(LADIES) Want perkier boobs? BUILD EM!

ANDDD!! You are so tired from just going and going and going in the same spot, something that jams the crap out of your joints INSTEAD you can do some bursts of expenditure by lifting weights, not freaking feel like you are going to bust a knee cap and also not feel like you are so exhausted and tired you want to curl up in a ball and eat bon bon's on the couch to rest because you are just so dang tired. That's what lots of cardio does, it makes you sleepy. Oh, and lifting heavy a$$ shiz off the floor and putting it back down makes you feel like a beast. It makes you feel like you could go all taekwando on somebody's butt in a dark alley if you needed to. Today for instance, one of my clients after 3 months has gone from shoulder pressing 10# in each hand to 20# in each hand. And she felt like a beast. That's strong folks. The first time I lifted my own 145 lbs up and over that pull up bar, or the first time I side raised 30# dumb bells I literally felt like I could not only kick HIS butt if I needed to, but HIS, HIS, and HIS butt. I mean--that's a boat load of weight.

I think I forgot to mention that as long as you are eating clean and lifting heavy weights you get to eat more! I literally eat about 2000 calories of clean food a day. This helps me fuel my workouts, allows me to continue building muscle and of course, get HOTT. (Oh, and fyi that age old LIE that says you are going to look all manly and grow facial hair is just that a LIE. Women just do not have enough testosterone in their bodies to build muscle like a man. PERIOD. End of story. Women who look like men, are not only spending their days dedicated to their jobs-- of working out and eating 5-6000 calories a day, but they are also getting a shot in the butt with a little muscle booster mmmmkkkk?!!)

I saw this little postcard thingy on facebook that said "it would be a shame for a woman to grow old without finding out what her body is truly capable of."

Seriously. I dare you. Give up the cardio for 3 months, or decrease it by 75% and lift weights for 45 minutes 3 days a week. Take a picture. Take a selfie in the bathroom, then do it again every month. I PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE you will like what you see, and if you don't-- you can just go back to that cardio equipment for 2 hours a day and burn off any and all muscle you have built. Just don't sue me when you all a sudden want to jump your husbands bones 5 times a week and dont sue me when your man can't keep his hands off your boot-AY!

(ps. I always say training is the smaller piece to the puzzle, the way you look is in direct correlation to how you eat. So you run a ton, and eat crap--you're going to look like that. You eat clean and run a lot, your body is going to look better. You lift weights, eat crap. You will look fat. You eat clean and lift weights and well, ya know
Ya get Hott, of course!)

REposting

http://poundpinching2010.blogspot.com/2012/01/body-image.html

HE LARIOUS

Ok a friend sent me in the direction of this blog and while I am not endorsing any athletic or food advice she gives, well, because I haven't read that much of her stuff so I don't really know her game.

But the stuff I have read, has me LAUGHING OUT LOUD. LOL'ING

Oh my gosh she is hilarious.

GO read some right now,

http://www.runningoffthereeses.com/

Response from Lisa Gough, gym owner

I thought this was an amazing reply to my review of Total Fitness Athletic Club in Fallon from last week. The owner, took time out of her day to reach out and appreciate the things that I said and to me that spoke volumes.
This humble, business owner--read my blog. This mountain of a woman, appreciated my words. I truly feel famous right now.
I wish for everyone to know a fitness enthusiast like this, to be able to train in a facility like we have at Big Jon Fitness, or at a gym like Lisa's. There is a difference. There is heart and soul and there is dirt and grit from pushing oneself to be the best version of them that they can be.
You don't find this kind of atmosphere and these kind of people everywhere. It's rare. In the fitness industry often times owners are overweight McDonalds eating junkies--it isn't common for the people running the business to actually follow the practice that they are being paid to preach. I hope you all understand that. Money talks and people start to get greedy (in every field, not ours alone), but when you find someone who has built a business and blood, sweat and tears--and truly cares about the people who walk through their doors and their personal goals-- and will do whatever they can to help you accomplish them--
You have found a gym family.






Total Fitness Athletic Club Hi Teri, it’s Lisa Gough!
I just discovered your wonderful review of our gym and I'm sitting here speechless and struggling to find the right words to express my heartfelt gratitude as saying "thank you" just doesn't sound big enough for the gratitude I'm feeling for you and your wonderful words of praise. I'm sitting here crying as I'm searching for my words. SUCH a wonderful gift you gave me today. 

Yes, you are right. I am the owner. I was in business with a partner up until two years ago. Our gym is 12 years old and it was born in my heart. Total Fitness Athletic Club is an extension of me and although yes, over the years we have received a lot of complements and praise, we have never received such a wonderful gift as the one you have given us today. Thank you. And I say that tearfully, humbly and with my whole heart.

Now comes the hard part. How to find the right words to express how I feel about what you spoke of regarding me personally. When you said "I pondered what it must be like to be her and what work ethic and heart she must have to go through the process of training so hard, through obstacles that most of us will never even fathom." that's when the tears came and my heart filled with such warmth, gratitude and love and for the first time in my career I felt as though all of my hard work and dedication has paid off.

Teri, I thank you for recognizing my obstacles and I thank you for training with the heart of a warrior yourself. It's only through your own strengths and dedication to step up and do the hard work that you are able to recognize it in someone else. I'm glad I was able to inspire you to work a little bit harder while training in our gym and I'm most grateful that you took the time to tell me how much our gym and my presence in the gym inspired you.

I want you to know I will be sharing your review with Kari and everyone who serves on our staff. They will feel proud to know they are doing a great job and it will serve as a great reminder that every guest and member are wanting more than just a gym when they visit our facility. They are looking to be acknowledged and invited in. They are looking for a great experience in addition to a great work out and their efforts and customer services skills provide the ideal environment that make us the best fitness center in Fallon. I think our guests and members deserve to see your review as well so I will be posting it in various places around the club.

Thank you again Teri. I sent you a friend request and I would like you to message me when you’ll be passing through again. I’m looking forward to meeting you the next time you visit our club. 

Once again, thank you Teri. Thank you.
Lisa Gough

Gym Review--Total Fitness Athletic Club, Fallon Nevada

Last week the fam dam and I took a 5 day vacation to visit family in Nevada. We had a great time relaxing and catching up with the hubby's family. We started in Reno, and then went to Fallon for a couple of days.
Husband and I are both on meal plans for the time being, and are trying to cut up a bit for summer as the water park with our babies is coming quickly! We were lax on food while away, making the best choices we could without being total downers and without driving ME crazy with tupperware and coolers everywhere.
We hit two separate gyms in Reno, one-- can't remember the name but it used to be a Gold's Gym and also to an Anytime Fitness. Both places were nice but not what we are used to and not the easiest environment to feel welcome in. I felt bad for any newbie to the gym scene walking into the bigger club because it wasn't very user friendly, and even as veterans to the gym scene, we had a hard time finding everything that we wanted. It was very tight quarters and for being a huge facility it just wasn't put together well.

I was freaking out worried for when we went to Fallon, which is a much smaller town than the one we live in and I was only aware of one gym in the area. After talking to my mother in law, I found out there were in fact two local gyms--The Body Shop and Total Fitness Athletic Club.

We called and it was 5$ drop in fee to The Body Shop and $8 at the Athletic Club, so naturally we chose the Body Shop. We left the rugrats with Oma and Grandma and went and got out workout getup on and headed to The Body Shop where we knew they at least had dumb bells.










Yah, so my husband and I walked into that Shop and he was like "uhhhhh where did you hear about this place?" Yah, it was pretty bad. Right next to a feed lot, but that wouldn't have been that bad still, in such a small town--but the equipment we saw right as we walked in was all in a small room and ANCIENT. I mean, like older than my husbands very OLD 31 years. And we couldn't find anyone working, even at the counter that was right at the front as you walked in! Maybe they were on lunch break I dunno.We left. Not enough dumb bells. He made fun of me the whole way to the Athletic Club place. Why did he make fun of me? I don't know, he is the one who grew up in that friggin neck of the woods!!!

We walked into this Total Fitness Athletic Club and were greeted by Kari. She was so cute and friendly! We filled out a waiver, she told us she had lost 120 lbs during her journey and (looked amazing!!! by the way) and invited us to her spin class that would be starting in an hour or so. We declined but thanked her and made our way to the back of the gym where they had 3 separate areas. One large area for cardio equipment (3 steppers!! HOLLLA at your girl!!! I do love-- to hate those steppers) our big club in our own town only has two and half the time one isn't working) several treadmills, a few elliptical trainers and bikes. It was a very impressive set up with 3 tvs close enough for all the equipment to see easily. (They weren't huge screens or anything but they were big enough to see). That gave them big points for me, having my stair climber close enough to see a tv screen and then again even EXTRA points, because they didn't have it on a food channel!!) P.s WHAT IS UP WITH GYMS and the food channel? I don't get it!?!?! So stupid if you ask me.

The second area was a large weight lifting area with all the free weights. Benches galore! Free weights galore!! Squat racks galore!! It was a weight lifters heaven. All the equipment was very nice and clean and I didn't talk to anyone, except one guy when I asked if there was chalk since I had forgotten my gloves in Idaho. He pointed me to some straps I could borrow from the gym and that made those 70# rows TO-TALLY doable for 4 sets of 15.

The third area was all the machines. They had a great selection and if I were new to the gym scene, I would have spent my time there, getting in a good total body workout. I use mostly free weights now a days, but had I not felt comfortable, the staff was definitely approachable had I needed help, I'd have asked with out a doubt.








I'm on the stair climber, and that sexy beast behind me is my lubby dubby of almost 10 years!!! OMGosh we are getting OLD!!! Better with age though I do think!

The next day was Wednesday and because we had a 6 hour trip ahead of us, and I needed to get in my shoulder training session and some cardio first so I rolled out of bed at 615 am while the kids and honey were sleeping--stopped at Walmart for a banana, protein shake for pre and post workout, and a 5 hour energy drink to gimme a little get up and go. (What is with continental breakfasts? No eggs, no plain oats, no bananas?!) No protein at all actually? I don't understand. That's a side note.

My second trip the the Total Fitness Athletic Club was just as good, different employee. Same great, hometown service. It was homey there. I really liked it. If I didn't work at the best gym in the world-- Big Jon Fitness I would really love to work at a gym like that. I felt welcome and appreciated there, not like a number or an outsider. Just at home. I liked it a lot.



I got a good shoulder workout in and actually am still a bit sore today from it I noticed as I was vacuuming  This gym had motivational quotes and pictures scattered about and I liked that a lot as well. I saw this picture the day before and just saw a bodybuilder chick.


But this day, I took the time to read that this is LISA GOUGH, who happens to be a bodybuilder and has had her leg amputated from the knee down I believe. I was super impressed with her story and was inspired to work a little harder on each and all of my working limbs. I pondered what it must be like to be her and what work ethic and heart she must have to go through the process of training so hard, through obstacles that most of us will never even fathom.
Mad respect to this woman.
Upon further investigating now that I am home, I see that this lady must be owner or part owner of the gym and it all makes sense to me now.




That gym was an awesome environment from the moment I walked through the door. The people were friendly, and obviously live the health lifestyle they are preaching. I trust that. I believe in being the best advertising for your business in the health and fitness industry by practicing what you preach. I don't know these people, I only said hi and thank you. But I feel a connection with their dedication and with their ability to form a place where people can come from across the country and feel at home in their gym. If Lisa is the sole owner or co owner I am not sure, but I imagine that her strength and ability to do such hard things in life is a definitely the reason that that gym, is what I would say is a great place to train and one I will frequent as I travel back and forth to Nevada each year.

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Swim Suit Shopping Sucks

Let's be honest. We all think that when we lose X amount of weight. We are going to be happy. All clothes are going to fit us perfectly, and we are going to feel like a sexy beast every single day.

Yah, that doesn't happen does it? You get to your goal and you think "Hmmm, I could lose X more." or "If only my stomach would tighten up (or butt or arms or whatever your spot is)"

So if you have been diligent in your goals since January 1, you have been working on making your body into a leaner machine and you are almost 4 months in. Most of you are feeling really good. Progress has obviously been made, you are getting more concrete in your new healthy lifestyle. So you decide, it's the day to do it.

It's the day to try on swim suits.

You get like 75 different pieces, because you don't know if you are a medium or a large in a top or a bottom. Grab some one pieces --they are all the rage right now. Grab some others just so you don't have to come back from that dressing room again. (As soon as you get in the room and find the top you like, the bottom is the wrong size huh? That ALWAYS happens to me!! WHY is that?!(

Out of the 75 suits you tried on, you like 50. But on YOU, you like 2-- kinda. And even those two you are thinking to yourself "I have so much more work to do." "My butt is too big for this one" "My stomach bulges here".

This is how my journey started.
Shopping trip one:








Shopping trip two:




Shopping Trip 3






Soooo, remember that time I did a figure show? Yah, that was like one of 5 times I have ever worn a two piece in public. I really want to be confident in that two piece swim suit but I am just so self conscious of my loose skin on my stomach. My kids are also getting a little older and I don't really want to be like all falling out of my top with them , ya know. So I have the hardest time making a decision!!

I have a few tips for when you do your shopping though:
1. Go earlier in the day when you feel less bloated from your daily food
2. Do your hair and your make up. Don't go in after the gym, don't go in real quick. Go in and plan to take some time to try on and make sure you feel good about yourself the day you are going.
3. NEVER. NEVER. NEVER go the week before your period. (nuff said?!)
4. Bring your camera phone so you can take a quick picture, sometimes things look better in a picture than your TRICKY TRICKY eyes tell you they do in the mirror.


That's all I got.

But my cousin gave me this advice tonight. She said, all those suits look good on you--but the one that is going to look the best is the one you decide to wear with confidence. I have heard that a million times before, confidence is sexy. Confidence is attractive.

So I decided I am going to wear one of these, with confidence. Not sure which yet. But one I will wear... (opinions...surely!! Send em my way baby!!) Whichever I do choose I am going to pretend like I am a freaking runway model and forget about it. I am going to feel good about the work I put into my physique year round--accept that some of the parts of my body aren't my favorite, while still appreciating them for what they are and how they make me, me.
Then you know what I am going to do? I am gonna rock that friggin suit like nobody's business up in the water park with my babies. I am going to splash, and lay out, and teach them to swim, and slide and every other thing in the entire water park, besides worry about how I look.
Aint nobody got time fo' dat!!!

(Atleast my kids don't. And if I want them to be confident in their swim suits, mama better start working a little harder to be confident in hers right?

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