I have just over 15 weeks until I will be donning the bright orange tan, glamming myself up to the max and strutting on stage to compete in another Fitness Modelling Competition with Next Fitness Model.
How am I feeling about it?
Super excited and motivated at the moment. I cant wait to get my body from where it is now to stage ready again. I need something to force me to be strict with myself again, otherwise the temptation for Bournville or Ben and Jerry's vegan peanut butter & cookie ice cream is just too much (by the way, I really recommend giving these a try, they are delish!)
I am also a bit nervous though as I know what it entails and it is no mean feat. The cutting stage is mentally brutal!
I thought I would blog about my process from now til show day, giving a regular update of where I'm at, how it is going, my favourite meals/snacks etc.
So let's begin...
Tracking macros
I've been through this process before. Last time, I was so naïve (I didn't even know what macros were until I went to a workshop for a comp and heard the other girls chatting about them.) So I feel slightly more prepared and knowledgeable about what to expect, however, it is still a learning curve for me. I am doing it myself, without a trainer or a coach, so the way I do things is because that's the way I want to and what works best for me.
So let's see what happens eh?
Last time I competed, I used an excel sheet on my phone to track my macros, it was handy but not the most user friendly way to do it (better than the scraps of paper everywhere I had before that though!)
Now, I have an app called LifeSum. I love it. It has made things much easier to track. It has a barcode scanner which saves so much time too! You can set reminders on it so you don't forget to drink your 2 litres (min) of water a day.
Defo check it out! Even if you are just curious to see how many calories you consume in an average week or you want to see how that translates into macros, it is a great little app.
Bulking? Cutting?
I have 15 weeks til show day and so I have given myself 2 more weeks of "bulking". So this is where my calorie intake is a little higher than usual to fuel my muscles so they can grow. I have struggled the past few weeks to eat the amount I should be, I think it is a mental challenge in itself for me to eat plenty knowing that I have to stand on stage in a bikini and feel great. However, I need to make the most of it whilst I can because in just a few weeks time consuming all these calories will seem like a far away (and fantastic) dream.
Training plan?
I am training 6 times a week at the moment -
4 x weights sessions, 2 x cardio/HIIT sessions. This works for me and is achievable with my family and work commitments. I am doing two upper body weight sessions and two lower body weight sessions. The cardio/HIIT workouts are full body.
Favourite meals/snacks?
At the moment I am totally addicted to tofu scramble, I've had it on a bagel, homemade wholemeal toast, breakfast muffin, wrap...you name it, tofu scramble works with it.
I also love baked beans, spinach, mushrooms courgette and avocado with it too. For those of you, like me, who like a bit of spice I always have the siracha sauce ready to go too!
To make tofu scramble you need:
*100 - 150g tofu
*Splash of olive oil
*Turmeric
*Salt and pepper
Put the oil in the pan, crumble the tofu into the pan, add the turmeric, salt and pepper and keep stirring for a few mins.
Yup, it is really that simple!
So there we are for now.
I'll be back soon with another update.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me!