The Decision

HERE IT GOES...


Over the past month I had been fighting the urge to make a decision on whether or not to compete. I whole-heartedly believed I could tackle work, school and competition prep at the same time. Turns out I can, but not well or safely. The first two weeks of October I worked 60 hrs / week. That was just the nature of the beast at the time due to the overwhelming need to hire new staff. It was definitely NOT a norm I was accustomed to, nor one that I expected. I was still meeting my workout requirements, which averaged out to be 3 hours of gym time / day and I was functioning well enough in my two grad school courses. I was doing what I thought I needed to do, but it wasn't helping matters any. Sleep was almost nonexistent, headaches became an every day occurrence and my overall health, body and mind started to deteriorate.

This past weekend I made the decision to NOT compete on November 14. It still sucks even talking about it now because I still want to compete so badly. Knowing the state of my body and mind after those two weeks, the progress I've made this year and the effects of my actions on others, I realize it was neither safe nor smart for me to continue for this competition. That being said, I will be competing in 2016 and will continue to train with my coach until then. Guess that means this blog stays around a little longer. =P

FUN FACT: I ordered my custom made competition suit 10 days before I made the decision to not compete this year. Today I get an update on its progress. Bittersweet. BUT if you have any doubts on whether or not I will actually compete in 2016, Google the average bikini competition suit price...Ha. I'm competing. Trust me on this one. The question isn't if I'll compete...simply, when?

Highlights - Week 7

Sunday, September 27 - Saturday, October 3

LIMBO. FALL WEDDING SEASON.

Ohhhh Week 7. The week I've been most nervous about for quite some time because it comes before Week 6. Dun. Dun. Dunnnnn. You know what I found out though...Week 6 is NOT the end all be all deadline. Well. Kind of. So at the end of week 7 my coach informed me that I still have a lot of time left. A LOT OF TIME LEFT?! Coach say what?! I'm over here freaking out and my coach thinks I have a lot of time. Hmmmm. OK. I mean, he would know, right? He's the expert! So I shall take his word for it. He said it is too soon to tell if I am ready to compete or not, BUT this is a step in the right direction. He didn't flat out tell me I wouldn't be ready or I'm too far behind, so I'm hopeful. I have time. I can do this. Woosah. I'm in limbo at the moment. I may compete (if I'm ready). I may not compete. I shall just continue to do my best and see what happens!!

What did end up happening though was I was put in contact with my coach's wife (second half of the coaching team) to begin work on ordering my bikini!! Details to come in Week 6. So exciting though! I think this was the first time I came to realize I will be wearing the least amount of clothing I've EVER worn in front of complete strangers. I'd like to think I'm generally a modest person when it comes to attire, so this is definitely outside of my norm / comfort zone but I'm going for it!! I'm so pumped and terrified!

The end of week 7 also kicked off the start of the Fall Wedding season. I love weddings! Brian and I attended a wedding for one of his friends in Charlottesville. The weather was cool and rainy, but the wedding, reception and bride were beautiful. It was a good time and a nice break away from the norm. The food was really good as well. I tried not to crash and burn my diet on that one. I think I did well enough. No mini delicious burgers or chicken and waffle bites for me. I must confess I wanted to body slam Brian when he asked if I wanted one. I didn't though. Not proper wedding etiquette. I'm sure he meant well. He'd know better if I was more consistent, so I'll take responsibility for that one. I'm rambling. I digress. In summary, CONGRATS Rachel & Rob!! Jessica and Rashad are up next in 2 weeks. Yay for fall wedding season!!

At the Wedding Reception w/ Brian

Highlights - Week 8

Sunday, September 20 - Saturday, September 26

CONSISTENCY YIELDS RESULTS. TURNOVER. MIRACLE NOODLES. GRANDPA'S 80TH!

Sorry for the delay. Life got a bit hectic in Week 7, which delayed me posting Week 8 Highlights. No fears! I'm back in the blog game...

This week's consistency was on point! Yay! Lucky for me it showed. My coach was pleased with my progress and life was good, so yay for that. Still grinding it out because at Week 6 comes the final decision. Eeek! Can you tell I'm nervous?!? But I digress...for now.

Work is on level 1000 at the moment. My graduate assistant position has experienced A LOT of turnover this week. Thanks to that we'll be hiring new fitness attendants to work in our facilities! Yayyyyyy! Right?! Kinda of. Hiring is a LONG process, of which I am in charge. In the meantime, while we are hiring new attendants, all unassigned shifts are falling to the coverage of myself, the other grad assistant and the office assistant. We have a pretty solid plan worked out, BUT it generally means more hours of work. We'll manage! I can't deny that it is a bit overwhelming at times though. Oh well! All part of the job.

Awhile back I found out about these 0 calorie "noodles" called Miracle Noodles. Figured I'd give them a try and see how it went. Loved them! They don't taste like anything on their own. They take on the flavor of whatever seasoning/marinade/dressing you add to them. I'm not sure if it's a mind trick or not, but it helps me feel like I'm eating more while having a minimal effect on my caloric intake, which makes me happy. I chalk that up to a meal plan win!! I've ordered enought to last me the remainder of my prep. I'm oh so serious.

Favorite part of Week 8 was my Grandpa's 80th birthday dinner on Saturday!! I still can't believe he is 80. He looks so good for his age (see below if you think I tell lies)! Love that man so much!! <3 The whole family celebrated at my grandparent's house with dinner and cake.

Always a good time when my family gets together. We even enjoyed a friendly game of Guesstures, in which my team won. That was to be expected. I don't joke when it comes to games. Go hard or go home!! I'm kidding...no I'm not.



The winning Guesstures team!!

Highlights - Week 9

Sunday, September 13 - Saturday, September 19

RESOLVE / MOTIVATION.

This week was fairly a blur. Everything was happening, but nothing was getting done. I realize that potentially makes no sense, but that is exactly how I felt in Week 9. I was definitely going through the motions for everything: work, school, workouts. I muddled through my lifiting and cardio sessions and remained on track 95% of the time with my diet. Just another "OK" week in terms of prep.

The true hammer during Week 9 was the text from my competition coach letting me know I needed to pick it up. My progress has been good, but it was by no means where it needed to be for this stage in the game. I was a bit discouraged, but I knew I was to blame with my "mini cheats" and reduced cardio sessions (in terms of minutes). My coach challenged me to make a change, and SO towards the end of Week 9, I decided I needed to find my motivation. I've started giving myself weekly goals, prioritizing my weekly tasks and really challenging myself to do what it is I said I wanted to do. My diet and workouts have changed up  this week and so far Week 8 has been going great!! Guess you'll have to wait and see why though...

3 Week Bikini Prep Update

Now comes the part where I share my embarrassing progress pictures. I've been somewhat dreading this post, which is part of the reason why I've chosen to post progress updates every 3 weeks, instead of every 2 or 1. =) BUT I promised to keep it real and share it all, so here it is...

Over the past 3 weeks I've been doing alright with my bikini prep. Not perfect, but not terrible. Not amazing, but not bad. That's mostly related to my diet. I slip up more than I should when it comes to eating on my diet 24/7. It's hard, truly the hardest part of this whole prep thing for me (right now).

I've been seeing daily progress, but not anything "major" from my point of view. I've clung to a cardio routine that has me doing some type of cardio everyday. I'm not one of those people that can do 20 min of cardio a day and lift and see the results I need to see. I do a lot of cardio. I break it up most days, but trust me when I say I'm putting in a lot more than 20 min a day to see the results I'm looking for. I try to stick to my cardio routine religiously but tend to fall short on the weekends when I take more downtime than I should aka I sleep. Lol. It's a constant battle, but it's one I need to get better with if I'm going to compete in November! Gah! I'm working on it...everyday. I'm getting better with my consistency. I'll get there (& stay there) soon. Soon! I lift 5-7 times per week. Depends on what I can manage. In my perfect world, I'd hit 6-7 times a week. Most consistently I'm at 5-6 times, but it's still working so I try not to dwell on it too much.

Another thing that I haven't shared with all of you who don't personally know me is that I've working at this since February of this year. I knew in January I wanted to compete sometime this year, but hadn't locked down a date until this summer approached. November is the last competition date in my area, so that's what I went with after the August competition I originally wanted to compete in approached too soon.  Ok so enough talk, here are the pics...







Full-body (Front)
R to L: 8/26/15 - 9/2/15 - 9/9/15

Full-body (Back)
R to L: 8/26/15 - 9/2/15 - 9/9/15
 

Front Shots
(R to L. Top to Bottom)
5/22/15 - 8/29/15 - 9/5/15 - 9/8/15





Side Shots
(R to L. Top to Bottom)
8/23/15 - 8/29/15 - 9/5/15 - 9/8/15


So in the full body shots there is no special lighting, flexing or body turning to show my "good side". It's just me standing there. Nothing fancy. In the mirror pics, I'm partially flexed, but not sucking in anything. The pictures aren't stretched and there are no special filters used. I think my bathroom lighting makes for the best body pics, which is where I take the non full body pictures. There you have it people. Some progress. The odd thing about this whole prep is my consistency and why I've been so inconsistent. I geniuinely happy with the way I look now. There are minor things I would change (lower body tone) but other than that I'm content with the way my body looks. BUT for this competition I'm not where I need to be so I need to power through and find my darn resolve to be fully consistent and get the job done.

At 6 weeks out, my coach will let me know whether or not he thinks I'll be ready to compete in November, so these next 3 weeks are extremely crucial to meeting that hurdle. I'm nervous I won't be ready in time. I want it, but again, I need to do what it takes to get it. All in. It's hard to juggle it all with school, work and minimal sleep, I'd be lying if I said it was easy. What I need to do is keep reminding myself this is only temporary. Grinding it out for the duration of this prep is what I need to do if I want to get to the stage on November 14. I need to be all in. I've got to find that missing resolve and increase my motivation. Let the planning begin...

Highlights - Week 10

Sunday, September 6 - Saturday, September 12

1ST CYCLE CLASS.  MORE CLIENTS.

In the grand scheme of my life, Week 10 was tame (for the most part). Busy and hectic per usual but no major tests, or deliverables for class. No major assignments or deadlines for work. Just a regular week, minus the Monday holiday for Labor Day!

Diet was alright this week. Not perfect. Lifting went well. Cardio was good. & in speaking of good cardio...I taught my first cycle class of the semester on Saturday morning. I had 9 people total, so that was decent. Not a lot, but not 1. It was a blast! I was more nervous than I should have been, but I always get that way when I'm doing something "new". Teaching cycle for the first time in over 2 years, I'd say that counts as "new". Class went well though. I didn't pass out, no one in my class passed out & I even managed to make some people laugh throughout. SO all in all, I'm looking forward to teachning more classes in the future. Oh and extra bonus, it helped knock out some of my cardio for that day. Win-win!

Post class selfie (after everyone left)

Related to work there was a minor [read MAJOR] change that took shape in Week 10. Part of my job as a graduate assistant is to oversee the Personal Training program. For the most part that entails connecting with the trainers, planning/conducting PT development and hiring, and pairing clients with trainers. When that system is operating smoothly, all is well. However, what I experienced in Week 10 were the joys of supply and demand. The client demand is much larger than we can support with our current trainers' availability. Good problem in the grand scheme of business and facilitating people's fitness journeys. Bad in the sense of "ahh shoot what shall I do now?!". Well, rather than lose clients or delay their training, taking on new clients becomes my responsibility if no other trainer can take them. In Week 10 I went from having a comfortable 3 clients to...10! 3 to 10. 233% increase. Gah. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE training and I LOVE helping people reach their fitness goals but in terms of the number of hours in a day and a week, adding 7 more clients to my load is rough. I'm fairly certain I'll become obsessed with my clients once I meet them and begin their programs but I'm realizing the hours in my day are quickly slipping away. I shall manage. I'll hire and train more PTs and life will gradually go back to normal, but for now...I vote we add 6 more hours into everyday!! Who's with me?!

Highlights - Week 11

Sunday, August 30 - Saturday, September 5
SURVIVED THE FIRST WEEK OF FULL ON CRAZINESS. NUTELLA. DROPPED COURSE.

Week 11 was my first week of the semester, which meant it was my first week of classes, work and workouts. It was without a doubt a rough week. I woke up EVERY morning by 4 am. Most nights I'd go to bed by 11 pm. Like I had anticipated, sleep is going to be a rough one to maintain. Over the weekend I was able to catch up on sleep, but the weekend always seems to fly by faster than I can handle. Make it slow down...please.

This week's cheat meal dessert sent me over the edge, CINNAMON SUGAR NUTELLA CRESCENT ROLLS! Urrrrmahgosh!!! They were so good...ugh...just great! I ate 1 (or 4) too many, so that was bad. On top of that I had too much of my cheat meal (spaghetti). So I need to work on that. Definitely can't let that happen again. I ate so much my stomach physically hurt from the amount of food inside of it. I had to lay down. I'm serious. It wasn't good...but it was good. Know what I'm saying?! Regardless, I can't over indulge like that on future cheat meals. It's not good for my progress and my mental state. =P

 I ended up dropping one of the courses I was orginally registered for. The course instructor and I weren't in agreement on project topics, and since I technically don't need the course right now, I decided to drop it and wait until next semester. Hopefully at that point I can work on a project I genuinely care about and produce something I'm thoroughly proud of. Fingers crossed that works out! I added an online course, which is great because that gives me 3 extra hours during the week because I don't physically have to sit in class. All in all, I think the change was a good move, especially for the goals of this semester. We'll see if I made the right decision soon enough!!!

3 week progress update is coming soon!! It'll have some "transformation pics" in there, so for those of you that have been asking...it's coming! Week 10 is upon me. Almost done. I can't believe how quickly time has passed, 1/3 of the way there. Ahhhh!! O_o

Highlights - Week 12

Sunday, August 23 - Saturday, August 29
KNEE SLEEVES. THE EDGE. FOURTH JOB. NEW FRIENDS!

Week 12 was the official "all or nothing" starting point for my bikini prep. I'm pleased to say I did really well!! I stayed on my meal plan 100% and got in all of my lifting sessions and cardio minutes for the week. Yay!! The hardest part was definitely not slipping on the meal plan. In previous weeks I'd have a few crackers here or a handful of grapes there (basically unapproved extra snackage)...none of that this week! No minor cheats of any kind. The fact that I made it through one week sans baby cheats, means I can do it again...for the next 11 weeks. BRING IT ON!!

This week I graduated from using my ACL knee brace for my cardio workouts to using only knee sleeves. It makes a world of difference in terms of range of motion. It's been over a year since I've had knee surgery so I should be good to go by now, but I'm always hestitant to come out of knee support braces. I did it though!! The new knee sleeves are great and I think my legs and knees are strong enough to tolerate what I put them through now. I hope it stays that way!!

On Saturday we had a staff bonding trip at The Edge. It was a blast!!  I managed to climb their Alpine Tower on the "hardest" side, which I was told are called candlesticks (two logs hanging by ropes/wire). The hardest part was getting from one hanging log to the other, BUT I DID IT!! Overall the trip was a good time. Learned a lot about fellow staff members in other departments and got an excellent total body workout! WIN. WIN.

Update on job #4...I OFFICIALLY got the cycle instructor position. I'm scheduled for 5 classes so far this semester so I'm excited! Extra cardio and fun times leading a class...what's not to love?!?!

On Saturday night, Brian and I ventured out to DC for dinner with another Marine couple. We went to a restaurant called Eatonville. Soul / southern style dishes. I was in heaven. It ended up being a quality cheat meal! Yay!! While the food was good, the company was even better. I absolutely loved the couple we went out with. The husband was hilarious and the wife was so easy to talk to. Now I have someone to talk to through this TBS journey when the guys go MIA. That'll be SO helpful, plus she's a genuine sweetheart so I'm fairly certain this is the start of a solid friendship. Yay for new friends!!!

Week 11 is the start of the academic semester. So begins the balancing act of 4 jobs, 2 grad school classes and bikini prep. OH BOY!

Highlights - Week 13

Sunday, August 16 - Saturday, August 22
CHEAT MEAL!!

Not much went down this week. Worked a decent amount. Worked out often (though I did miss a day) && stayed on my diet about 95% of the time. Better, but not perfect...but remember Week 12 is my ultimate "NO BS" starting point, so I'm not terribly bent out of shape about the imperfections of Week 13.

But do you know what was perfect  this week?! My. Cheat. Meal. Mhmmmm. What is a cheat meal you ask? It's basically the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. A freebie. A sanity check. A meal that does not follow the constraints of your typical bikini prep meal plan. I usually save this meal for the weekend. In the past it's been a meal at a restaurant or party. This weekend I had no dinner plans so I decided to visit good old Pinterest and try out a recipe. This was the result...

Pesto Salmon w/ Veggies (pre-oven)

Alas, it did not just look pretty it was delicious. Never had pesto on salmon before, but I've always liked both so I was throughly pleased to find the two together are amazing. Feel free to try it out!! Here's the recipe. && thanks to pesto salmon, I've decided to try a Pinterest recipe every weekend!! Well, we'll see.

Salmon & veggies w/ roasted red potatotes

On a sidenote: Week 12 is here...IT'S LITERALLY GO TIME!!! 

New Job: Substitute Instructor

So I technically added a new job to my list. It's not official, but the plan is to be a substitute instructor for cycle classes this academic year. I'll know for sure on Friday, so I'll give you the final word this weekend.

 

I'm a certified Group Exercise Instrutor and have taught cycle classes before so I'm not worried about instructing. It'll be a good workout & it'll help out the instructors in a bind. Win? Win?

Job #4 coming at you soon...hopefully!!

What's Your Favorite Part Of Bikini Prep?

MEAL PREP.

As of this moment, my favorite part of bikini prep has been meal prep / dieting. I follow a meal plan designed by my competition coach. Most people who see me eat think that my meals are redundant or plain.  I personally haven't gotten tired of anything and I season my meals for my taste preference and I can assure you that it is not plain. My meal plan has plenty of room for variation at the moment, so if I ever were to get tired of something I could mix it up. I don't do that too often because I buy my meats in bulk, but I could when/if I wanted to.



Shredded Chicken & Veggies

I like to prep as much as possible, with my goal being to prep enough meals to get me through the end of Friday. Over the weekend I make my meals as they come, or prep them with the coming week's meals. Nothing fancy. Below are a few reason why I love meal prep so much:

1. Relaxing - Actually making the food is relaxing. I'm usually by myself, in the kitchen, listening to music. It's my "alone time" so to speak. It takes a decent amount of time to meal prep, so in that time I can think about things or not. Either way I'm enjoying myself and knocking out the week's biggest task.
2. Organized - Once I finish this competition, I'll continue to meal prep (albeit less restricted) simply because it helps me remain organized on food for the entire week. There's no guessing about what I'm going to eat next or worrying about if I have time to make something. It's already done and where I need it to be. It's. so. nice! Think about it...you wake up Monday-Friday and don't have to worry about cooking, going to the store, figuring out which restaurant is open, etc. Sounds good, right?!
3. Healthy - All of my meals are healthy. Once I finish eating them I don't feel sick, bloated, or any other undesirable feeling you may get when eating a large meal or an unhealthy one. The meals give me what I need and that's good enough for me!
4. It Tastes Good - Whyyyyyy do some people think all healthy food is disgusting?! It's not. There are ways in which to make healthy things disgusting, but I'm not about that life. As such, all of my meals taste good. ALL of them.

So there you have it. My top 4 reasons for enjoying meal prep. For the amount of time I put in for the amount of food I get out...it's well worth it!! Typical meal prep will take me a couple hours, but then I have meals for 5-6 days. You do the math. Winning!



Some prepped meals for Week 13

Highlights - Week 14

Sunday, August 9 - Saturday, August 15
IT ENDED. WORK BBQ. VISIT W/ GRANDMA. FRIEND'S GRADUATION PARTY.

This week's work schedule was atypical for summer. Monday-Friday I worked 10-14 hour days between two of my jobs. Early mornings. Late nights. It was a rough one, but I got through it! Working out and following my diet went ok. Not perfect, but ok. I was too thrilled when Friday came.

On Friday was the first fun event of the weekend. We had our Fitness staff office dinner/bbq/social at my supervisor's place. It was a nice time together outside of the office to simply relax, enjoy each other's company and discuss goals for the upcoming year. Jokes were made. Speeches were given. Tears were shed. Bonds were strengthened. All in all it was a good time. It definitely set a good tone for the office team moving into the start of the school year.



Fitness Office Staff '15-'16

On Saturday, aside from working from home, I was able to get out and enjoy some time with friends and family. Brian and I visited with my grandma for a bit to chat and give her her birthday card and flowers (5 days over due). It was a good time. My grandma is really the best. Can't stess how much I love that woman.

Early this summer w/ my grandma <3

After visiting her, Brian and I went to my friend's graduation party from PT school. I hadn't seen her in a couple years so it was nice to catch up and have the most EPIC cheat meal. Probably too epic, but it was delicious. I have no regrets, this time.

Week 13 is underway and so far I'm doing well. To be completely honest, I've told myself that Week 12 is when I have to cut out any small slip ups I've had in previous weeks and get extrememly serious about competition prep. I've been sticking to the plan ~90% thus far, so striving for 100% is coming soon. I'm actually going for it this week, which shouldn't be a problem, so I'll let you know how it goes!

What's the Downside to Working Multiple Jobs?

EARLY MORNINGS / LATE NIGHTS. MINIMIZED VISIBILITY. LESS TIME FOR OTHERS. OTHERS' PERCEPTIONS. BURN OUT.

Working multiple jobs and being blessed enough to have more than one job is something that I don't take for granted. I've been lucky enough to find and keep 3 (good) paying jobs that continue to challenge me but still allow me to do things that I want (i.e work other jobs).

When I step back and think about it sometimes, I do realize that working more than one job is somewhat selfish. I'm taking a job away from someone who could possibly need it more than I, and I'm in one way or another hindering others who may need me to be more present at one job because I'm at another. Because I enjoy working my jobs and not disappointing coworkers / supervisors / etc. I try my hardest to make sure I meet or exceed my job expectations. This in return has some drawbacks:

1. Early Mornings / Late Nights -  Working 40+ hrs / week means that many days start early. This isn't at all terrible to me though because 95% of the time, I'm a morning person. Waking up early (3 am - 5 am) and getting the day started makes me feel good, so it's not a hassle for me to do. What IS hard is waking up early and going to bed late (11 pm or later) THEN doing the exact same thing the next day. Everyone needs a certain amount of sleep to function properly and I don't doubt for a second that I don't regularly get "enough" sleep. From an outside point of view, I don't think many people can tell when I've gotten 4 hrs of sleep vs. when I've had 8+ hrs unless I tell them. I do sleep less then average though. It's just the nature of the game I've chosen to play. Not a good thing, but it's my thing.
2. Minimized Visibility - I CAN'T SEE. Kidding. This has nothing to do with my eye sight. This is about my physical presence in the workplace. When someone finds out the best way to safely clone a human, please let me know! Until that happens I shall always succumb to the fact that I can't be in two places at once. In turn, when I'm electing to be at job #1 over job #2 on a certain day, my visibility at job #2 is reduced. I miss important changes or people begin to think I'm unavailable, etc. I try to compensate for this by working outside of my scheduled hours for some jobs. This doesn't help with physical visibility though, but it does ensure that my workload doesn't fall onto someone else. 
3. Less Time for Others - This is the drawback I struggle with most because it effects others. Because I work so much I have less time for others. Less time to spend with others, less time to talk to others...just less. Everyone that knows me and understands why I work multiple jobs is supportive but I know it can be annoying when I can't hang out or attend some event because I'm CHOOSING to work more. While I do choose to work, I don't ever what people to think I'm choosing work over them. My family and friends are extremely important to me so I make an effort to be at most major things, but I do skip somethings or leave early to accommodate my work schedule.  
4. Others' Perceptions -  This. one. right. here. This drawback is double-sided. I feel bad when people worry how my lifestyle is effecting me. I don't want my decisions to worry anyone else. For example, I know hands down my parents are worried I do too much. Work too much. Workout too much. Awake too much. Every close friend, coworker or supervisor has shared that concern with me at one point or another and I don't want them to make decisions based off of that. On the other side, it's funny (& kind of cool) when people think I'm Super Woman or that I have some special powers, but it's not realistic. SPOILER ALERT: I'm not Super Woman & I have no special powers. I just do what I can to the best of my ability, day in and day out. No fancy recipe. No trick meds / cocktails. Just living life the way I know how.
5. Burn Out - There are days when I want to quit 1 or more of my jobs. I never do, but for 2-3 min of those days I want to say "DEUCES" and live a simpler life. It happens sparingly but it does happen. I get exhausted. I get REALLY exhausted. I try to refrain from having major meltdowns in public. So far so good. I believe my dad, Brian and a couple close friends have witnessed a burn out meltdown a time or two, but I try to keep those to a minimum. Don't want to have people thinking I'm crazy!! Hah. 

In the end I still do what I do. I've found someway to spin every drawback to some form of a positive so that it doesn't make me feel like I'm a terrible person. I do enjoy my jobs and working them, so for now I shall continue the path I'm on because it sure is an eventful one!!

Highlights - Week 15

Sunday, August 2 - Saturday, August 8
BRIAN'S OCS GRADUATION & COMMISSIONING.

This week's highlight has nothing to do with bikini prep, work or grad school so bear with me on this one. This week primarily centered around Thursday and Friday. I worked 12 hour days Monday - Wednesday in preparation for taking off Thursday and Friday to enjoy one of my boyfriend's biggest accomplishments thus far...graduation from USMC Officer Candidate School (OCS) and his commissioning to 2nd Lieutenant.  Thursday was Family Day and Friday was the graduation parade,commissioning ceremony and pinning ceremony.

Wednesday I woke around 4 am to get ready for work. The day was relatively normal but extremely long. That night a friend that I had met through the OCS website (Vanessa) would be flying in to stay with me for the next couple of days, as her husband was graduating as well. She arrived sometime between midnight and 1 am Thursday morning and instead of going to sleep like we should have, we ended up staying up all night talking. Around 4 am we decided sleeping wasn't really an option if we wanted to catch the guys at the motivational run at 6:30 am. We got ready for the day, headed out to breakfast and knew we'd end up regretting it later...

Brian waving during the motivational run

Family Day was a blast but I was more irritable than usual. I was really wishing I had slept even for a few minutes. Luckily, Brian was understanding and didn't get TOO annoyed with me. When I got home that afternoon, I passed out. This was around 6 pm. Around 7 pm Vanessa text me she was close to my place. I responded and then fell back asleep. Fail. Epic fail. She ended up waiting outside my door for 10 min or so. I felt terrible when I woke up and realized she was still outside. I'm lucky she's a sweetheart and forgave me quite easily!!

Family Orientation with Vanessa

Friday was the day Brian (and I) had been looking forward to for the past 10 weeks. I'm fairly certain OCS was the toughest mentally and physically draining thing he's ever done. As his girlfriend, it was pretty emotionally draining but it was finally over. I'm positive he was ready to graduate, and I was ready to get my boyfriend back (for a few days anyways)! The day went fairly smoothly and at the end of it all he was a 2nd Lieutenant!! Extemely proud moment. YAY BRIAN!!

Graduation Parade (Brian is on the left)

Pinning Brian's bars w/ his sister

In honor of keeping it real, my diet and workout routines were shot toward the end of Week 15. From a diet standpoint, I celebrated too much with Brian. I ate outside my meal plan more than I should have and missed my lifting / cardio routines for a few days. I should have planned better for those days and held to that plan, but I definitely got lost in the moment for those couple of days. This week I've developed my plan, prepped and am ready to get back on track SO back to the grind I go for Week 14.

What's a Systems Engineer?

"LARGE-SCALE PROBLEM SOLVER"

That's the easiest definition to share with peole who haven't a clue of what a systems engineer is. That was the defintion a keynote speaker shared at one of the conferences I attended in undergrad and it's stuck with me ever since. Pretty simple and accurate in my opinion, but of course there's more to it then that. There always is.

Systems engineers are responsible for design, development and management of engineering systems throughout the duration of their existence (i.e. lifecycle). A system is defined as a combination of people, places,  and/or things  that together produce a result that they alone could not produce. For example, a car is a system. One of its components is an engine. By itself,  an engine can't do much, but when integrated with a car frame, gears, wiring, etc. an engine powers the car (one hopes). Systems engineering involves A LOT of integration amidst multiple fields of engineering, analysis and finance. There's overlap galore.

GMU '14 BSSE Graduates

Some systems engineers have one or more technical specialties that allow them the ability to further understand complex systems. For example, a systems engineer with a background in computer science should be able to better understand the software compenents of a system. Most systems engineers that I know of go into industry as analysts or project manangers and that ultimately suits my career goals.

So there you have my "off the cuff" definition of Systems engineering. Hopefully I didn't miss anything major. If I did I'm sure my engineering friends will let me know and I'll make the appropriate adjustments. But, I think this definition will suit most. Stay tuned to learn more once the semester starts because I genuinely love this major!

Why Work Multiple Jobs?

COMFORT. BREADTH OF KNOWLEDGE. NETWORKING. JOB "SECURITY". CONSISTENCY.

Since 2010 I haven't worked less than two jobs at a time, give or take a few months. Some jobs have lasted a semester, others have lasted years, and all have been paying jobs. It didn't seem like a lot at first because the hours always seemed to be minimal...5 hrs / week job 1, 10 hrs / week job 2, school work, class. No big deal. That all changed in 2012 during my final undergrad year at the University of Virginia. I almost didn't graduate. I had taken on too much and let my studies slip as a result. I did end up graduating on time, but I vowed to never put myself in that situation again. I've sort of kept that vow...

While getting my second bachelor's degree at George Mason University I worked my govt job part-time, attended school full-time and transitioned to Personal Training at the university.  I was able to excel in my studies, work and even had time to have some fun, so when a professor proposed a paid research opportunity to me a semester into my degree, I said yes! That bumped my job count to 3 and there it remained through the duration of my second bachelor's degree.

After my second bachelor's, I started my graduate degree the following academic year. I was lucky enough to land a graduate assistantship position in a field that I loved, Fitness! I enjoyed working all of my jobs BUT I was no longer at the point of minimal hours. I was averaging 50-60 total hours of work / week along with graduate school classes. It was tough but because my grades were good and I was in good graces with all of my supervisors, I kept with it. That was the most mentally, emotionally, physically draining year of my life but I would do it again in a heartbeat...Why?!

1. Comfort - Aside from the financial comfort I gained from working multiple jobs, I gained a sense of comfort with the chaos that comes with it all. It was my normal. It is my normal. Sleeping 4-6 hours Monday - Friday, sometimes less. Weekends I can sleep 6-8 hours. It came easier the more I did it, the more I did it the more I realized I could do more! So I did.  I'm not saying it was/is smart, but it worked for me. The chaos of multiple jobs is comfortable for me. I also find that I'm comfortable with the people I work with. I actually wake up (most days) excited about going to work to see the people at my jobs, whether they be clients or coworkers. I thoroughly take pleasure in spending time with them and find comfort in the time that I am with them.  
2. Breadth of Knowledge - This is a big one. From each one of my jobs I've learned something new that has been applicable to ALL my other jobs. Whether it be how to better communicate with different personalities or how to craft technical documents, it has all been applicable to other jobs. That may seem odd considering each job is fairly different from the other but to me there's always a way to implement what I learned at one job to another. Sometimes it's harder to find the commonalities but I guarantee they're there. My knowledge for my technical job isn't only technical and my knowledge for my management position doesn't only span that skill set. I can do more because I've been exposed to more that's outside of the "norm" for each position. To me, that's valuable and something I hope to never lose.
3. Networking - "It's not WHAT you know. It's WHO you know." I used to hate that saying. I used to see it as a negative. But the more I've worked, the more I've seen it is very much so true. Many of the positions I've been offered I wouldn't have even known about had it not been for the right person seeing my grades or hearing my name through the grapevine. Networking and building a network is so valuable. Having multiple jobs has allowed me to build an extremely diverse network and I'm very much so appreciative of that.
4. Job "security" - I say "security" because it's not entirely secure, but having multiple jobs in different fields gives me the ability to change my job given the economic climate. A job in fitness vs. a job in engineering. Both are relatively different and are easier (or harder) to come by depending on the area and/or need. So when looking for future jobs, I won't feel as much pressure to pick a location based on job potential for one specific field because I'm not as worried that there won't be something I enjoy there.  
5.  Consistency - This coincides with comfort, but I'm used to working multiple jobs. It's my routine. I like consistency. I honestly would not know what to do with myself if I only had one job.

For me, the pros outweigh most of the cons. I'll share in another post the downside, but overall, working multiple jobs has been a blessing. It's not for everybody and eventually there will come a time in my life when a family of my own will take precedence over having multiple jobs. As for now I'm not sure it's something that I'll be looking to change anytime soon BUT who knows.

Why a Bikini Competition?

I MISS SPORTS, ATHLETIC COMPETITION & TRAINING.

As a kid I was a soccer/basketball junkie. Couldn't get enough of either. In middle school I gave up basketball [my weaker sport] in hopes of becoming good enough at soccer to play in college. Alas, 9th grade came in 2004 and so began the demise of my "sports" era with ACL tear #1. Never did play soccer in college like I had hoped but I did manage to play on the UVA women's rugby team for a couple seasons. Amazingly fun sport but definitely not one of my smartest decisions given my ability to attract injury like a magnet. Fast forward to September 2014 where the sports injury tally stood (and remains) at 4 ACL tears & reconstructions, 2 broken collar bones, 1 broken toe and a dislocated thumb. Needless to say, after ACL surgery #4 I decided it was best I hang up the cleats.

While my desire to take chances and risk injury to play "just one more season" has subsided, my desire to compete has not. I've always liked competition. I have actually been interested in bikini competitions for a few years now, not only for competition's sake but because I thought I'd enjoy the structure and discipline that comes along with preparing to compete. So far, I love it!! Preparing for things with an "end game" is fun to me. That goes for aspects outside of sports as well: school, work, etc. I like working to reach a goal & then moving on to the next goal. I think my relationship with competition is a healthy one, but I'm sure there are some who may disagree **cough my boyfriend cough**.

For those of you that don't know and would like an overly simplified definition, a "bikini competition" refers to the bikini division within a physique competition. Competitors are judged on their balance, shape and physical appearance while posing in a bikini and heels. I'll talk more about specifics in a later post, but that's it in a nutshell (a very tiny nutshell). I like schedules, routine and organization and bikini prep is all of that and then some! I am however continuing to learn that life rarely goes as planned most of the time."Going with the flow" and adapting has been and will continue to be my biggest challenge throughout this journey. I'm getting there!

I always thought I'd wait until after I finished graduate school to prep and compete in a competition. I changed my mind though when I decided I wanted to make a lifestyle change sooner rather than later. A change that would help me grow not only physically, but mentally. I wanted a challenge and I knew I wanted it this year. My schedule is relatively crazy with 3 jobs and my final year of grad school but it's been harder before. For that reason and others I'm under the impression I can balance school, work AND bikini prep well enough to compete in my first competition in November. Let's hope my body can handle the ride it's in for this time around!

Why Blog?

ACCOUNTABILITY. MOTIVATION. REFERENCE.

I've decided to start a blog to share with my friends, family and complete strangers my journey through my first bikini competition prep!! I know. I know. There are already a million of those blogs out there, but I thought maybe, just maybe, this one might be a little different...Why? I've decided to tackle my first bikini competition prep while in my final year of graduate school as a Systems Engineer along with maintaining my 3 jobs as a Gov't employee, graduate assistant, and personal trainer. No. I'm not kidding, Yes. I whole-heartedly believe I can succeed at juggling all 5!

This blog will serve as one of many accountability tools to keep me honest throughout these next 15 weeks of prep, school and working. Something about sharing your ups and downs along your journey, with anyone who cares to read, is both terrifying and exciting but I feel it will help hold me to be more honest with myself AND of course it will help me learn some things about myself (and others) along the way!!

I'm also hoping this blog helps to motivate not only myself but others as well. I'm not the only one with a lot on their plate (of their own choosing OR not) and I know there are going to be times when we just want to throw in the towel and tap out, but I'm hoping by sharing my story it'll help others find their motivation to keep going through their journey. Regardless of what that journey may be.

Last but not least this blog will serve as a reference. A reference for other first time bikini preppers  (is that a word?!) on random emotions/feelings/changes, a public diary of sorts and a REAL telling of what it's like to get through it all. So stay tuned for what's to come...I'm excited!!