You Asked For It: The Fitness Post

I have had one of my blogger friends request a post on my diet and exercise activities when I'm preparing for a pageant. I'm flattered! I'm just going to be truthful here about what I really do, so it may not be the most nutrionally sound advice. I'm not a personal trainer or a nutritionist, so this is just what I do. I'll begin with exercise.

Exercise
I do a lot of weight training and only a little bit of cardio. I think a little cardio goes a long way. I will do about 20 minutes on the tradmill (usually running, but if I don't feel like it sometimes I'll just walk instead), stationary bike, or eliptical machine to begin with. This will get your heart rate going and get your body warmed up. After that I do about 40+ minutes of weight training. I like free weights more than machines. I use 3, 5, and 8 pound weights. You don't want to use too much weight and get too bulky. This consists of the upright row, pushups, bicep curls, overhead press (triceps), the tricep pushup, scapular retractions, and external rotations.

I workout about 3X a week, but if it's getting down to pageant time I try to do everyday.

This is an external rotation, only I use free weights.


Tricep Press: keep elbows in next to your ears and don't let them flop outwards.

I also use a 9 lb body bar. I use this for dead lifts. Since I have started doing backbends and deadlifts my back has gotten a lot stronger. Keep your back absolutely flat when doing a deadlift. You should feel this in the top of your hamstrings just under the glute area.

For lower body I do a lot of single leg lunges and squats. They are not fun but there is nothing as effective. For the sake of muscle confusion I alternate between super slow low squats and fast squats where I don't go as low. I also do squats squeezing a small (6 lbs) medicine ball between my knees. This makes sure you are using proper form and uses more muscles. Remember in a squat your knees should never go past your toes. You can also use the body bar on your shoulders for added weight when doing squats and lunges. For lower legs I do calf raises with my weights rested on my shoulders. I do them with toes forward, toes inward, and toes out (first position in ballet) to work the entire calf muscle.

For abs I use the big exercise ball for crunches. I also do the reverse crunch where you lay on your back raising your legs up and down. I do planks and side planks as well.

You can do 3 sets of 12 of most of these or just go until the muscle is burnt out.


Food
To begin with I cut out all drinks except for water (lots of it) and green tea. I don't put any sugar in my green tea, and because it tastes bad, I just pour it down my throat like taking a shot. I do drink juice in the morning, but not throughout the day because it's sugary. When I had a personal trainer he would not allow any soda, not even diet, and don't ask me how it works, but it helps. He did recommend prune juice (can't remember why) but I could never stomach it. I never ever skip breakfast. I usually have orange juice (I like Purely Simple Valencia OJ and all the sugar is almost like having coffee) and cereal. I get Special K cereal and not kid sugar cereal. I don't eat after 7 PM (another rule I stole from my old trainer). If I get hungry or miss dinner and it's after 7, too bad. I eat Progresso 100 calorie soups like they are going out of style when I diet. Anything portion controlled is a good idea. I try to go easy on pasta and cut out all junk food. I love Italian food and eating out in general so I try to avoid both when I diet. It's so much easier to diet when you can eat at home. When you do eat out, stay out of the bread basket. - I have a hard time with this. Moe's Little Moo Moo on the kids menu is only something like 400 calories so that is a good option if you have to eat out. Moe's Personal Trianer Mexican salad is good too. I don't have a big sweet tooth so it's easy to cut out all desserts and candy. If I have to have something I eat a mini candy bar, such as a Snickers. I make my sandwiches on wheat bread and bring lunch instead of going out for lunch. For snacks, I like whole wheat gold fish, sliced tomatoes (I grow my own), string cheese sticks (these are filling), and popcorn. I probably don't eat as much fruits and vegetables as I should. Every once in awhile you have to cheat and get a cheeseburger or something you love. This will rev up your metabolism so it isn't bad to cheat sometimes.

DVDs I like
I like Shape magazines Bikini Bootcamp DVDs for using at home. Sometimes you just want to come straight home after work and not have to make a stop at the gym.
The Girls Next Door workout video is decent (my dogs like to watch this for some reason).
Elements Ballet Conditioning DVD is a good one.
I also walk Trinket almost everyday so that's a little bit of extra exercise I'm getting. Trinket demands her walk and walks really fast to have 4 inch legs! I try to walk uphill when I can to get extra work on my hamstring and glute area.

Past Miss USA Tara Conner. She has one of the best swimsuit bodies I have ever seen.
One last tip: try to get extra sleep because then you won't be as hungry throughout the day and will have more energy to exercise.

Hope this was helpful!
XOXO
Gamecock Queen