5 days out!

I know, I know, I've been a little quiet the past week. Don't get me wrong, everything is going great! It's just...HARD!
Everything is getting to be intense, my diet is very very strict. I'm eating tilapia and fish basically, drinking insane amounts of water, working out for at least 2 hrs a day. But only a few more days! This is certainly not for the faint of heart lol!
Last week was very difficult. I was tired, and it felt like time was dragging on forever!
However Friday and Saturday brought me a much brighter outlook on everything. I went shopping with one of my best friends and got some clothes that actually fit. I saw a big drop in the scale, another 2 lbs!
I started in January at 151.8, and weighed in this morning at 125.2! That's almost 27 lbs lost! I would never think in a million years I could be that light! The healthy range for my height is 120-150, in case you were curious. I had hoped to begin peak week at 127 so I am doing great in that regard.
Feeling a little crappy but that's to be expected!
I felt summery this weekend so I put on a sundress. Leigh took this pic of me in Leigh Square by my house. The other pic is from our first wedding anniversary last year. Can you spot the difference? Hehe!

Vision

One of the most important things that has helped me through this process is vision. I started thinking about doing this a few years ago and by February of 2011, I knew I wanted to compete in 2012. I watched everyone train for it, watched how they dealt with things, watched them all leave and return from Kelowna last May and I vowed I would do it. I volunteered at the BC Championships and watched the girls who placed at Kelowna and the fall show go on stage. I kept it so close in my vision that when the time came to start training for it I just started. My heart was already in it.

As I get closer and closer, my vision gets so clear it feels real. When I picked my suit, my hair, my shoes, my makeup. I can see myself so clearly achieving this goal. When I am exhausted on the treadmill, I visualize myself on stage and I can push through.

I heard this story at a course I took and I think of it often.

"The Catalina Island is twenty-one miles away from the coast of California, and many people have taken the challenge to swim across it.
On July 4th 1952, Florence Chadwick stepped into the water off Catalina Island to swim across to the California coast. She started well and on course, but later fatigue set in, and the weather became cold.
She persisted, but fifteen hours later, numb and cold, she asked to be taken out of the water.
After she recovered, she was told that she had been pulled out only half a mile away from the coast. She commented that she could have made it, if the fog had not affected her vision and she would have just seen the land.
She promised that this would be the only time that she would ever quit.
She went back to her rigorous training. And two months later she swam that same channel. The same thing happened. The fatigue set in, and the fog obscured her view, but this time she swam with faith and vision of the land in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind the fog was land.
She succeeded and became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel. She even broke the men’s record by two hours."

So amazing. Think about what you can achieve. Start with a dream and begin to visualize it!

Xoxo,
Taren

Yes, I Can and So Can You

All my life, I would always quit whatever I started because I thought I couldn't do it.

Dance? I can't perform in front of other people at a recital. Quit.

Piano. Ditto. Quit.

Tae-Kwon-Do. Ditto again. Quit.

See a pattern here?

Fear kept me from finishing things I started and kept me from starting things I wanted to do. I believe life has an amazing path for each and every person and I become more and more amazed as I follow it and realizing all the things that I sure as hell CAN do.

The absolute BEST part so far of this entire experience is constantly stunning myself on what I can do that I never thought I could. I have always dreamed of being fit and being in amazing shape. When I discovered the gym, I LOVED it just from the way it made me feel but I never worked out hard enough or ate clean enough to change my body. I maintained the same weight pretty much no matter what I ate for a long time. I started to lose my belief that I could have my dream body.

When they opened the bikini division of fitness competing, I was instantly intrigued. I wanted to look like that, curvy, fit and toned. I wanted to DO that. I vowed that I would do it one day. Now that day is in 15 days. I have been working so hard and I can't wait to keep working hard after the show too. I will set new goals and challenges to complete. Because now I know that I CAN.

xoxo,
Taren

Progress Pic!

Hello! 20 days left and I am feeling good! Down to 130.2! I can't tell you how amazing it feels to see that number on the scale.
In the past 10 years, I have resolved to get to my goal weight so many times and in training for this competition I have finally reached it. It feels so great to accomplish my goal! I was feeling great this morning after my cardio so I decided to snap a quick "bathroom" pic to show you guys where I'm at. Not bikini, of course, you'll have to wait till May 19th for that! :-)

How I'm Doing

I haven't updated this blog in awhile, I'm sorry. It's for 2 reasons:
1. I have no time. Between training and work and food prep, there's no time left to blog!
2. I am tired.

These 2 reasons pretty much sum up my life right now. Is it easy? No. Is it fun? Not anymore. 3 weeks out and things are getting pretty serious! I have to keep my mental state in a good place. All I'm trying to do is stay on path, take care of myself and get through my day. My favourite part of the day right now is getting to eat my sweet potatoes.

Today has been a hard day. When it feels that way I try to think of all the things I'm grateful for. A body that can handle this. The food that I need to get my body into "bikini competitor" mode. An amazing supportive husband. A kick ass trainer, amazing friends, great family, understanding boss, and people who just randomly tell me I look great when I feel like I want to take a nap on the treadmill. All these amazing people are what's keeping me going.
That, and the sweet potatoes.

xoxo,
Taren

Milestone!

This morning I woke up and weighed in at 131.8. I stood there with my mouth open staring at the scale. This means since January, in 3.5 months, I've lost 20lbs total.
Totally a milestone worth celebrating.
But not with cake.

Defining Moments and Donut Meltdowns

Yesterday was a physically hard day. I did my morning cardio at the gym and had my food in the fridge there. Of course I totally spaced and forgot it there and went off to work. So my day was a little off. I still stuck to the plan, I had protein powder in my bag and grabbed some grilled chicken and salad from a nearby restaurant.
Because I didn't have my food and supplements with me, I felt quite off.
So later on, I went to meet up with my girlfriends for an Ikea trip, I decided I needed a coffee. I decided to go inside and order because the drive thru at this location of Tim Hortons was a weird angle and I'm always worried I'm going to wipe out a mirror or something with my luck.

This is where I had my mini-meltdown. Don't worry, it was only on the inside. I was so sleepy and for some reason the person in front of me's order was taking sooo long. So I had plenty of time to look at all the carb-ey stuff in the display case. Keep in mind my diet is QUITE low carb at the moment.

So I'm waiting in the line, and I notice they have my absolute favourite donuts, (Strawberry Vanilla, with sprinkles) the best bagels ever (asiago and sundried tomato) AND my favourite potato bacon soup. STILL waiting to order my coffee. It was TORTURE. I wanted to scream "I just want my freaking coffee with Splenda, let me outta here!!"

Finally I got my coffee, and got the hell out of there. Don't get me wrong, I thought about cheating. I thought about how I'd just worked out and what harm would a little donut do. I was thinking about it and this is what defines how we diet these days. We are faced with temptation when we don't expect it and we either stay strong or give in. Don't get me wrong, I think if you love donuts, you should have them once in awhile for a treat. A few of my cheat meals have ended in driving to the one and only Krispy Kreme in the lower mainland with my hubby. Like I've said before, having them planned out makes me not feel guilty for indulging. If I were to give in on my non-planned cheat day and scarf down a donut in the car, I would feel guilty and crappy no matter what way I played it in my head.

So I guess the moral of the story is, try to avoid temptation if you want to stay on track. I know I'll be using the drive thru for my coffee from now on. If I can't see the donuts and bagels, I won't even think about them. Why make life harder on myself? I'm learning what triggers me and it helps a lot. You can read all the books you want but you need to find out how your body works and what works best for you. What triggers your cheating?

Make it worth it!!

xoxo,
Taren

Apple Pie Protein Shake

Technically, apples are not on my meal plan. I usually have berries with my shake. My breakfast at the moment is basically a protein shake with my oats thrown in. I am LOVING this right now. It's so easy to throw together at home or at the gym (since I work there, no one cares if I use the blender) after my morning cardio.

So normally my shake is frozen strawberries, oats, and chocolate protein powder. This is a great time to get your flaxseed/omega oils in too. This shake is really filling and really a complete breakfast with the oil. Fats, carbs, protein, nutrition.

Today, I got a little creative.

Apple Pie Protein Shake

• 1 small apple or 1/2 large apple (cut in smaller chunks to make it easier on your blender)
• 1/2 cup rolled or instant oats
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder

And that's it!

What's your favourite protein shake recipe?

xoxo,
Taren

Kale Chips

Kale chips.

Where have you been all my life?

I'm a chip girl. Always have been. I love chips and salsa, ketchup chips...pretty much any kind of chips. I've come to prefer the baked kind of but even those aren't health enough to have on a daily basis.
These kale chips are.
Take a bunch of dry kale, rip it up into small peices (it shrinks a lot though)
Spray pan (or 2. Make 2 pans, this stuff goes fast) with cooking spray or olive oil spray.
Side note: This tool is awesome.

Back to the kale chips.
Arrange the kale peices aka future delicious chips on the tray. Spray lightly with olive oil.

Now come your seasonings. Do you realise how UNLIMITED your options are?!

Sea Salt: sprinkle with sea salt.
Sea Salt and Pepper:  sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.
Parmesan Chips: sprinkle with sea salt.
Ranch:  sprinkle with 1/4  of a packet of ranch seasoning (the dry kind)
Sea Salt and Lemon Juice: Sprinkle with sea salt and squeeze lemon juice and/or lemon zest.
Taco: Sprinkle with homemade or from a packet (preferable low sodium) taco seasoning.

These little green guys are SO addicting. Make two trays. Trust me.

xoxo,
Taren

7 Weeks

As of Saturday, I am officially 7 weeks out. I'm thinking a lot of things right now. The first is, how the hell am I going to pull this off? The 2nd is, how the hell have I pulled this off so far?

Starting Weight was 151.5 (approx) December 31, 2011
Current Weight is 134.4

In 3 full months, I have lost 17 lbs. How have I actually come this far, and how will I keep going? I have no idea how I've managed this far. Let me give you a little bit of background on my life.

I have a husband.
I work at a gym part time, in a nutrition store part time (closer to full time, 30 hours a week), I am building up a personal training business, helping my husband build a DJ business while he works full time, and prepping for a fitness competition which means 1-2.5 hours a day in the gym 6 days a week and a VERY strict diet.

All while living in a bedroom in my in-laws home with all my stuff in laundry baskets. We've been here for about 5 weeks, we are waiting for our apartment to be ready to move into. I have not seen my blender in 5 or 6 weeks. I forget half the clothes I own.

If you would have told me that I have come this far with this much stuff going on in my life, I would have laughed. No, I'm the type of person that shuts everything else down to concentrate on this one thing. Except this time, I can't afford to do that. Everything that's going on is too important to be put aside. Yet I'm still going. I am actually shocking myself.

I wake up in the morning and tell myself I can do this, just get dressed and get in the car. Just drive to the gym. Just go home and get ready. Just make your food for the day. Just go to work. Just go to the gym. Just go home and have a nice bath. Just go home and snuggle with my hubby. Just fall asleep and do it all again tomorrow.

This is how I've pulled it off.

By putting ONE foot in front of the other.

Hmm. How about that.

xoxo,
Taren

My "Never Give Up" Song

When I get to the gym in the morning half asleep with no coffee (or anything actually) in my system, I put this song on and suddenly I am so determined to do this, to finish this. I'm doing this for me.

 

"Settlin'"

Fifteen minutes left to throw me together

For mister right now, not mister forever

Don't know why I even try when I know how it ends

Looking like another "maybe we could be friends"

I've been leaving it up to fate

It's my life so it's mine to make

I ain't settling for just getting by

I've had enough so so for the rest of my life

Tired of shooting too low, so raise the bar high

Just enough ain't enough this time

I ain't settling for anything less than everything, yeah

With some good red wine and my brand new shoes

Gonna dance a blue streak around my living room

Take a chance on love and try how it feels

With my heart wide open now you know I will

Find what it means to be the girl

Who changed her mind and changed her world

I ain't settling for just getting by

I've had enough so so for the rest of my life

Tired of shooting too low, so raise the bar high

Just enough ain't enough this time

I ain't settling for anything less than everything

I ain't settling for just getting by

I've had enough so so for the rest of my life

Tired of shooting too low, so raise the bar high

Just enough ain't enough this time

I ain't settling for just getting by

I've had enough so so for the rest of my life

Tired of shooting too low, so raise the bar high

I ain't settling no, no, no, no, no, no

So raise the bar high

What's your favourite motivational songs?

xoxo,
Taren

Competitor Friendly Recipe - Salsa Chicken

I had heard of cooking chicken in salsa in the crockpot before, and never tried it out until a few weeks ago. I am HOOKED! This is so amazingly delicious. My husband is asking for it every single day. I'm so excited about it I was showing random people at the gym my lunch and telling them they had to try it. Yeah. That excited! It's the easiest dinner ever.

All you have to do is this:

Take one large jar of salsa. Put two or three chicken breasts (can be frozen, mine I bought fresh and then froze individually) in the crock pot. Put the whole jar of salsa in the crockpot covering the chicken. If it's not covering the chicken, add some water. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. When it's finished, take a fork and shred the chicken.

SO GOOD!

It may not be pretty, but I promise it tastes awesome!

You can add more chicken, just add more salsa and/or water so it doesn't try out.
I LOVE this served over a serving of brown rice. You can also add black beans if you like. Let me know if you try it!

xoxo,

Taren

On Cheat Meals

Last weekend, I hit up a local pub with some friends for a cheat meal. I was ready for something more decadent than protein shakes. I decided on a grilled cheese sandwich with yam fries. It was delicious, but not as good as I thought it would be.

I have mixed feelings about cheat meals. I eat super clean during the week and then sometime on the weekend I'll have one cheat meal with dessert. This is a huge change for me, prior to starting the contest prep, I was having a lot more things that would be considered cheats. It's so easy to justify eating what you want, isn't it? When you really want something, it's easy to make excuses on why you should have it. For me, I would think "I will work this off", "I never have this" (conveniently forgetting I may never have "this" but I do have "that, that, and that" ALL the time) or "It's a special occasion" (What, a Tuesday?)


How to keep a handle on cheats? This is something I really want to figure out for after the competition is over because although it is normal and a little necessary to put a bit of weight back on, I don't want to undo all my hard work. This is what I've learned so far:


1. Keep cheats to ONE meal. For me, I've had meals at the Keg with bread, and whatever I was eating with dessert after and as long as I got back on track first thing the next morning, my progress kept right on track.


2. Only eat what you REALLY love. Don't waste cheats on something that is so/so. Plan out a special meal ahead of time, whether you go to your favourite restaurant or make your fave mac and cheese, just make sure it's something that you really love and will satisfy you. People bug me about this, but I only get one cheat a week so you can bet your ass it's going to be something good!!


3. Always keep your cheat meal in the evening as your last meal. My diet has been so clean that when I have my cheat meal, I usually am SO TIRED after. One time, I'm not even joking, I fell asleep in the parking lot leaving Olive Garden. So this part is fairly easy for me.


4. Friday, Saturday, Sunday is best for cheat meals. If you have a hard time getting back on track after a cheat meal (which is normal, because your body might crave more carbs ect) save it until Sunday night, then have it in your mind that Monday is back to your regular routine.


5. Make your clean food taste GOOD! If you are competing, this does become a little limited. However, you will find certain things you really enjoy that are on your meal plan. When I feel like I need a cheat, I make extra lean ground turkey or beef with homemade taco seasoning (no sodium) and have it over a big bowl of lettuce with salsa! It makes me feel like I am having tacos even though it's keeping me on track. I will be posting recipes that help me stay on track.


I read once that if you did your cheat meal right, you should feel satisfied and ready to get back to healthy food after. Every one I've had has made me feel that way. Eat what you love, enjoy every bite, and move on! :-)


xoxo,
Taren

8 weeks till Bikini!

Today marks 8 weeks before the Western Canadians Fitness Competition (Bikini Division). It seems so far away but I know it's not. When I think I've already been doing this for 12 weeks (I started December 31, 2011), it makes it seem easier, although my works out and diet are getting more regimented.

I want to blog about this, but I don't know how to. It doesn't seem to belong on my regular Life of Taren blog, so I've made a new one. I think I want to keep my Life of Taren blog for fun stuff, and this one is the real how I'm feeling about this competition stuff blog.

8 weeks.

To be honest, I am totally happy. I am having so much more fun with this than I thought I would. Watching my body change has been so bizarre but very cool. It hasn't really hit me yet. I've been so busy I haven't quite had a chance to get dressed up and go out. The last time I did was about a month ago.

This is November 2011:

Let me just be honest for a second. From this time period in my life was probably one of the heaviest I'd ever been. I was doing weights and working out fairly often, but I was super stressed and just could not get my eating together. My starting point in January was something like 151.4. I told you, I was being honest. As much as I look at this picture and somewhat wince, I need to be honest with you guys. I know for a fact that so many people feel this way. I knew at this point that I was planning on doing the competition, so I wasn't that worried about my weight. I do wish I had gotten in better shape for my sister's wedding but I still had lots of fun. 

This is me on February 18, 2012.

 

The mere fact that I'm wearing this dress means that I already felt better about myself. My sister has been trying to talk me into wearing it for ages and I didn't feel comfortable. I felt great this night! I will be posting more recent photos soon, I honestly just haven't even had time to take any!

I've been preparing for this competition for almost a year. Mentally, I started thinking about it, learning about it, preparing myself for what I knew I would be doing. I think this is a huge factor in why I'm doing so well. I still have a long way to go, but from my starting point, I have lost 17 lbs.

I've said this before and I'll say it again. I am not doing this just for me. Yes, I want to feel great and accomplish something, but more than that I want to show whoever needs it that YOU can do whatever you set your mind to as well. In the past I have been lazy, crabby, depressed, unmotivated, overweight, not toned. I set out to do something and pulled this amazing disciplined dedicated person out of myself. It's like an out of body experience.

My hope in starting this little side blog is that maybe other newbie competitors will read or maybe someone will be inspired to start their own fitness journey. Or maybe it will just be therapeutic for me. Either way, I'm good with it.

xoxo,

Taren

Easy Breakfast: Veggie Quiche Cups!

This is one of my favourite healthy recipes. I find breakfast to be one of the hardest meals because I don't feel like eating in the morning. If I have these ready to go, it's a lot easier! I make a ton at a time because my husband eats them too!

 
Vegetable Quiche Cups to Go
 
Ingredients

• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach
• 3/4 cup liquid egg whites or egg substitute
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheese
• 1/4 cup diced green and red bell peppers
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 3 drops hot pepper sauce (optional)

Instructions

Microwave the spinach for 2-1/2 minutes on high. Drain the excess liquid.

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with foil baking cups. Spray the cups with cooking spray.  (I always forget to do this)

Combine the egg substitute, cheese, peppers, onions and spinach in a bowl. Mix well. Divide evenly among the muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Quiche cups can be frozen and reheated in the microwave. Any combination of appropriate vegetables and reduced-fat cheeses may be used.

Tips & Bonus Information

77 calories; 3g total fat; 2g saturated fat; 10mg cholesterol; 3g carbohydrate; 9g protein; 2g fiber; 160mg sodium

Yield: 6
Preparation Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Motivational Tricks!

So, it's almost the middle of January. After a few weeks of New Year enthusiasm, it's easy to lose your motivation. I have found some very cool motivational tricks that I thought I'd share. 

Set a goal of how many workouts you want to do in one month. Print off a blank calendar page and check off each one as you go. When you complete them all, treat yourself to something fun like a new book (ok, not everyone is as dorky as me) or a clothing item, workout clothes, makeup, whatever! Print off a picture of it to keep right above the calendar page.

 

 I found this next one on Pinterest. I know, that is American money in the jar. Loonies and Toonies don't take up as much room unfortunately. What you do is, decide on an amount for each workout, say a dollar or two dollars, depending on your budget. For each workout you complete, you put the money in the jar. When it gets to a pre-determined amount say 50 or 100 dollars, you get to spend it on something fun for yourself guilt free!

Speaking of Pinterest, I find it to be an inspiring motivational tool. There are so many cute sayings and images. There are also tons of links for healthy recipes. If you want a Pinterest invitation to start your own pinboards, let me know and I'll send you one. Read here for more info on what Pinterest is all about and how to use it and click here if you want to see my boards!

Another thing is, if you are losing motivation try to make it as easy as possible on yourself. By that I mean, get organized so it takes no effort. Prep lots of food at once so meals are a piece of cake (not literally, of course!) keep your gym bag ready to go with water, workout clothes and shoes, ipod and headphones, magazines, snacks, whatever you need. Lay out your clothes before you go to bed so you have everything ready to just grab what you need and go! Team up with a friend to get you moving!

The motivation you feel when you are about to embark on a new goal is nothing compared to when you are on your way and doing it! I had an amazing workout with a friend of mine yesterday and I felt so amazing that I am on this path that I'm on. 

If you need any help getting motivated, feel free to message me, email me, call me whatever. I am here to help! I didn't become a personal trainer just to coach people on fitness, I wanted to cheer people on in their goals! This part of my business is completely and totally free of charge! :-)

I'd love it if you tell me what motivates you in the comments below!

Taren