PERSONAL DIARY: “Changes Yet Again”

As you can see I am pretty lean right now because this picture was taken today.  I was prepared for the Miss Street Machine Nationals in Duquoin, Illinois. That was going to be tomorrow at 2:30 p.m., but plans have changed yet again. You know I love it when plans change! 

I had registered with the Miss Street Machine Nationals. Then one thing after another seemed to fall apart. The air goes out on both of my vehicles. My friend volunteers to drive his Dodge extended-cab pickup truck with air. Then his air goes out on his pickup also. I was going to have have a spray tan, so the thought of driving four and a half hours into Illinois  seemed ridiculous. My tan would have melted off by the time I got there. 

I guess the thing that made me decide to change my mind was when I watched the weather last night. My worst fear was my tan melting off, but then I find out it’s going to rain up there at the time of the competition.  At that point I realized it was pointless to even go. So I decided not to go.

It would have been fun to go and see 3,000 hot rods. It would have been great practice for posing for NPC. It just didn’t seem worth it for my point of view. I also got the opinion of my good friend Brittany Lynn from Las Vegas, Nevada. She agreed it was pointless to go.

So I did a mini prep for nothing, but then again a good practice for discipline and willpower.  I slimmed up a bit in the process, & so I’m pretty well good to go on bikini season at the pool! 

I’m not bummed, everything happens for a reason, and this just wasn’t meant to be.

MY OPINIONS: “Change”

My friend’s mother died of brain cancer a couple months back. She was given four weeks to live. I got to thinking about what it must be like to only be given a certain amount of time to live, and know that the death date would be right around the corner. 

If I was given 6 months to live what would I do differently? If you were given 6 months to live what would you do differently? Would you have the same job? Would you still be worried about the silly things you worried about now? Why do we need an announcement from death on our door in order to live? Why does death need to find us in order for us to decide to want to live? Most importantly, why do we need death to remind us to live with integrity? 

Most of us live a lie. When you have not structured your life so that it can have meaning and value for you, you will be willing to throw away your life for literally anything.

Whether it’s drugs, alcohol, a job you hate, or a relationship that’s wrong for you; if you have no meaning in your life those things can become a reality.  You act out of mediocrity for so long it begins to define who you are.  Those horrible things should never define a person.  Everyone fears change.  I myself, hate change.  I live by my planner, so if you’re not written in it ain’t going to happen!  Not to mention, since the car accident my memory isn’t what it used to be. 

Most people stay at jobs they’re miserable at for the simple fact that the fear of changing jobs over rules their drive.  Some people stay in unfullfilling relationships that are so wrong in so many ways for them because the fear of being alone outweighs the obvious. 

Sometimes in order to see the daisies that life gives us we have to be willing to change.  A person must be willing to change the city they live in, change the friends & bad influences they surround themselves with, change their relationship status for the better life for themselves, or the job that makes them not want to rise up in the morning in order for them to feel fulfilled. 

If it doesn’t add to your life, why waste your time on it?  Life isn’t promised to us in manner.  Why do we need death to come knocking ar our door for us to live with fulfillment & happiness.  Fear not change.  Fear the life of the mediocre.  To live in misery is to live within the hell you call life.  Life is not hell, life can be a beautiful thing once the kettlebell of fear is removed from your belt.  Don’t miss a great life changing moment because you feared what COULD happen. 

MY OPINIONS: Why Do We Fail?

How easy is it for us to blame everyone and everything that’s wrong in our own lives?  We look around ourselves and we find that we are unhappy with the life that only we chose to create.  Then there are those that look down on you for being successful and happy and they are the ones that are unhappy with their own lives.  There is such a thing as being a great and positive person with the best of intentions towards everyone and everything, and then stuff gets rough and you can’t seem to catch a break.  Who doesn’t this happen to? I know what happens to me on a daily basis.  One minute things are great and you’re in heaven, and then the next minute it seems like your life is hell.

If you look for pain, dysfunction, drama, being broke, and struggling that means you have looked for every excuse in the book to why you’re not successful.  It’s not your childhood or the environment you grew up in because I know some of the most successful in America, & those people are people that have grown up in the worst shitholes of America.  Don’t be that lazy bum person that’s full of excuses as to why you’re not winning. You are the only reason you’re not winning in life.  This blog isn’t to tear you down, but rather open your eyes.

You can do the same thing over and over and over again expecting different results, but five years later you will still be where you are today.  The other option to that horrible situation is that you look up at the mountain in front of you. You can start today to climb that mountain and eventually reach its peak. Maybe not now, but definitely!

I know it’s not easy. Nothing good ever came easy. I’ve been told that my dreams are pipe dreams and that I cannot achieve my dreams. I’ve been told there’s no possible way to achieve my goals and that the things in life that I want I will never be able to do or have.  Why? Because your dream died? Mine shouldn’t live? Oh! But my dream will live!  I’m going to fight back for what I believe in, what I want to achieve, my own dreams, and my goals. I’m not just fighting for myself! I’m fighting for my friends, my family, and I will make certain I will fight back!

See, the crazy thing about greatness and being a champion, is that no one expected anyone to make it. In that same breath I go out, and I do it anyway just to prove them wrong.  Greatness isn’t about having money. Greatness is about the achievements, about doing something great for others, doing stuff when others doubt it, it’s about listening to the doubters, and making those doubters eat their words.  Today and each and every day hereafter is the day I will walk all over my enemies. I will reach that moment in my life when I become that person that others can look to and say she went through it and I can do it too.  As humans we feed off one another. As humans we tend to look up to someone that’s great like they’re special, but they’re just like everyone else. Everyone is imperfect.  Even I have people that I look up too, so that means each and everyone of you are exactly like me.

Each day I’m tested by life in a like manner. If I persist and I continue to try to move forward I will succeed!  I’m not a sheep needing prodded by my shepherd. I’m alone, and I don’t live or lie down with the sheep. 

I will not hear those who weep or complain. For those who weep and complain are a disease, and that disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep with the rest of the flock. This is not a house of failure, and I will persist until I succeed! Never will I consider defeat even though I know it will happen.  When defeat finds me it will not define me, and it will make me stronger.  The words I can’t or impossible are simply words of fools. Those foolish words will simply be ripped from my vocabulary forever.

I will toil forever and always keeping mine eyes on the gold and the prize at the end of the road.  I know from where the driest desert ends, the new world will arise for myself. I will try again and again defeating each obstacle. I’ll consider every obstacle and derailment a mere detour and challenge to my own profession.

Don’t let the biggest enemy be the enemy within your own mind. I know for myself my own mind is my worst enemy. Whether it’s working out, cleaning the house, or just doing something stupid I have to be the hardest person on myself. I really don’t even give my husband the opportunity to get all over me for anything because I’m so hard on myself.  I’ve slowly come to realize that I am my own enemy half of the time. The other half comes from the BS you put with from everyone else.

As I have said at the end of some of my other post… in the Cowboys locker room it says be your best regardless of the circumstances!

GYM TALK: “What Is A Superset?”

When you Google the word superset this is what comes up:

So by terms of the gym, supersets are when two exercises are performed in a row without stopping.  There’s no rule saying you have to rush from one exercise to the other. Supersets are not done for time.  At first, some find endurance to be an issue, but the more you work at it the better your endurance will get. 

There are two options when it comes to supersets.  You can do supersets working the same muscle, or you can do supersets by working two different muscle groups.

Some examples of supersets working the same muscles are:
Rear Delts + Lateral Raises
Goblet Squats + Sumo Squats
Deadlifts + Suspended Hamstring Pullins
Crunches + Situps

Some examples of supersets working two different muscles are:
Hammer Curls + Weighted Tricep Dips
Deadlifts + Squats
Bicycle Crunches + Situps
Lateral Raises + Renegade Rows

The best thing about working two different muscle groups with supersets is in between each set the muscle will get a short break.

Supersets are some of my favorite workouts to do. I find that I get the most results out of a good couple of different superset exercises.  Some workouts I concentrate on a single muscle group. There are some workouts that I will do two muscle groups in a super set. I try to vary them in my workouts, & I seem to get the most results that way.

Some of my favorite supersets are lateral raises combined with front raises, any squat combined with any lunge, & and when doing core I always do the same muscle group.  My favorite two muscle groups to work in a superset is shoulders and back.  Every superset will consist of anywhere between 4 to 8 sets.  The reps on each set can vary between 10 to 15. When I’m pulling 8 sets, my reps can be only between 2 and 5 reps in a set at the end. It’s always wise to rest 2 minutes between each set. Your muscles need time to reset.

PRODUCT REVIEW: WOD Fitters Foam MFR Roller

I have been on my fitness journey now for 5 years. I have always seen those foam rollers, and wondered what the heck are they for? I started looking at them at Walmart. The basic foam roller with no studs or ribs on it wasn’t too bad of a price, but I wasn’t willing to pay it. I then noticed one that had some texture on the roller. The price on it was even more and I still deemed it not worth it. So I left Walmart with no foam roller in hand.

Recently the workout Gods dropped a WOD Fitters foam roller at my front door. I won it on their Facebook contests they run, so FYI THEIR FACEBOOK CONTESTS ARE LEGIT. It came with its own little bag to put it in for traveling. I also noticed that the foam roller itself was not only ribbed but also studded. I then did a little research over the foam roller itself from WOD fitters. I found that the material that this roller is made out of resistant to microbes. Not saying I don’t clean it, but the fact that microbes can’t attach itself to it is a pretty damn good selling point.

I used to my new foam roller post-workout the day after I received it. I had done much research on YouTube about how to effectively foam roll my muscles. I was very skeptical at how this would help me, but once I used it it was like a million little Chinese elbows digging into my muscles. The feeling of the deep tissue massage done by this foam roller left me feeling amazing afterwards! If it ain’t hurting when you’re rolling; it ain’t going to feel good when you’re done.

In my opinion, this is the best foam roller I have found on the market. Decently priced when I looked at their website, & they seem to stand behind their product! WOD Fitters also offers many other massage products for athletes on their website which I will be purchasing in the future.

Here is the link to WOD fitters.
WOD Fitters Website

My Secrets To Crushing My Workouts

VISUALIZE THE WORKOUT LONG BEFORE YOU BEGIN IT!

The intensity of my workouts demand a lot from me.  Not everyone’s workout will be as hardcore as mine, but no matter your level of exercise or fitness, the same focus I use to my workouts will also apply to you.  Your normal day to day life can never prepare you for the type of workout you will get results from. 

I prepare for a tough workout 60 minutes in advance, but I recommend at a minimum of at least 30 minutes before your workout.  Whatever I do, I will not wait till I’m staring down the barrel of a gun (the weights) to get mentally prepared. 

As I walk into any gym I get invited to workout at, I visually prepare mentally to what I’m about to do.  I visualize why I am about to do the workout.  I think about the $10,000 I could win in 8 weeks.  I visualize the beast mode engaging within me.  Then last, but not least, I think about how I want to feel after I am done with the workout.  Do I want to be proud or disappointed is the the question in my mind. 

I figure I have 2 ways to look at a workout.  I can either do it because I have to or do the workout because I actually want to.  Which sounds better to you?  I have done both with all honesty.  No one will ever want to do a workout because they want to 100% of the time!

PREWORKOUT INTAKE TIMING IS CRUCIAL!

We have all seen gym attendees chugging the preworkout either in the locker room or in the gym right before their workout.     Then those people walk out into the gym & are prepared to bust it. Drinking a preworkout then is entirely to late. 

Let me explain why this is wrong.  The caffine & enhancers have not had time to kick in.  The label on most preworkouts suggest 30-45 minutes before your workout.  I personally take my preworkout 30 minutes before I begin my workout.  Mentally, from habit it, it helps me also put me in workout mode by drinking it. 

Sometimes I feel down to some medical issues, & I will eventually disclose those issues in time in future posts.  For me, taking my preworkout & giving it time to kick in is key.  Cellucor C4 is crucial to me being successful in the most intense workouts.  I feel it kick in when the Beta-alanine, & makes my hands & feet tingle.

You can get Cellucor C4 at Walmart, http://www.flexitnutrition.com, or @bodybuilding.com.

MOTIVATIONAL MUSIC & VIDEOS ARE A MUST!

Looking for something to do while in the locker room getting ready or mentally preparing? Looking for something to motivate you during your workout?  Looking for something to listen to as you mentally prepare while sipping your preworkout? 

I listen to Rob Bailey’s music on Bootheel Fitness’ Rap Playlist or Bootheel Fitness’ Motivational Playlist. Rob’s music has changed my life for the better & has personally empowered me.  Sometimes you just need a good motivational talking to!  The motivational videos on Bootheel Fitness’ playlist are another key to my fitness success.

Here’s the links:
BOOTHEEL RAP WORKOUT MUSIC: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8bFDSI4tDN0rC4BNyqz1x0QGVryhh5EU

BOOTHEEL FITNESS MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOS: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8bFDSI4tDN2MLATtMOcfAeCXes2uTglD

GIVE YOURSELF THE OPTION OF GOING BALLS TO THE WALLS!

My success was largely built by a few simple rules of ethics.  I operate by a few simple words.  The words speak for themselves.  My words of wisdom are: Consistency, dedication, sacrifice, resourcefulness, & disapline.  I will break down each word of wisdom in short.

Consistency in my training, my effective movements, my nutrition, & my living my life PERIOD!  My schedule is my best friend!

Sacrifice…. where should I begin.  I have sacrificed friends, family, and more than I care to ever explain.  If they bring you down or talk about you, they are not worth your time. 

Disapline was when I blocked family & friends because of unneeded drama.  If you aren’t bringing me up, you had to go!  When I did this act, I had nervousness, but once it did it,  I told my mom that it was like a 100 pound bag dropped off my back and I was free!  Disapline on nutrition, living style, & trainings should never be overlooked. 

Dedication is when life hands you those lemons.  What are you going to do?   Are you going to quit or are you going to say not today!  I have had derailments along my way that will all be posted eventually.  The key is if you get knocked down, by golly pick your ass up!  It might be 3 weeks later.  Reset & recover, then don’t let it stop you! 

Last is resourcefulness, & this is a key to not burning out!  The options of fitness never end.  Don’t burn out on 1 thing.  Variety is the spice of life!  A routine can kill sometimes.  Try at the beginning with something fun after your warm up.  A new exercise try is not only fun, but it is also educational. 

KNOW ALL YOUR NUMBERS!

Magic can happen for me when I do measurements.   I do my measurements once a week.  It makes me accountable to myself.  Not to mention, weight watchers success was the accountability by a number system!  I use my Bodyspace account for my tracking. 

ADD SOMETHING NEW ON 2 A DAYS OR THE MOST INTENSE OF INTENSE DAYS.

I add a cup or 2 of coffee in the morning.  Sometimes combined in my protein shakes for breakfast.  I use Cellucor’s C4 for preworkout.  Then multiple drinks made with Optimum Nutrition’s Pro BCAA Raspberry Lemonade drink mix.  BCAAs also help in the my delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

Be proud of what you achieve! You’re better than those not even trying.  You stepped in the gym.  Making fun of an overweight person at the gym is like making fun a an alcoholic at a NA meeting!

MY OPINIONS: “Skinny Shaming”

When I think of skinny or fat shaming I think of an old Britney Spears song “Piece of Me”.
The link to the video:

I have never been one to support any type of shaming.  I never liked being called fat and I sure as heck don’t like being called skinny. 

When I was in highschool I was a very high quality athlete.  I was always small.  At 10% body fat, I weighed 100 pounds & could grab rim on the high school basketball goal in the gym.  I was solid muscle and a very small girl, but you could call me mighty mouse. 

When I had my daughter I was 180 pounds after birth.  I struggled to even look at myself in the mirror.  I felt as if I looked like a fat cow.  My hubby never made me feel anything less than a MILF.  I got called fat, was bullied on MySpace (2006), & eventually moved to Texas because of the bullying. 

The picture in the top left, I thought I had seriously lost weight, & finally comfortable with wearing a bikini outside.  I was slip and sliding with my child when I hear a neighbor yell I’m a fat whore.  My daughter heard it.  I was completely mortified & pissed.  So I kicked in gear the start of my hard journey ahead. 

The top right I was making progress.  Never had anyone bother me for my weight then or in the bottom left picture (The 2014 Bezerker Mud Run), but the bottom right picture to the present time has been filled with skinny shaming. 

I lost millions of friends when I lost weight, & what was once not acceptable “fat shaming” has turned into “Skinny shaming”.  I have had people say I’m on drugs, anorexic, & so on.  To work so hard to look the way I do, it hurt to be told I was on drugs.

Even the “fat” (I prefer unhealthy) family members love to skinny shame.  So when I think if the song I think “She’s to big now she’s to thin”.

Why is it OK to call small petite people skinny & us small people aren’t allowed to say fat?  It hurts both ways, no matter how you say it!  Do you know why the person is skinny? Maybe the person is struggling with stress, PTSD, depression, a medical issue, ect.  Just like I wouldn’t know why someone is over weight, you don’t know why a skinny person is the size they are.  In my case, me being fat was because I was lazy, pure honesty. 

I want people to think before speaking, because unless you know the person personally you don’t know the struggles they are under.  Like mama always says, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

PERSONAL DIARY: THE BEGINNING OF THE 12 WEEK BULKING PHASE

APRIL 3, 2016

Today I started my 12 week bulking plan that I carefully planned out myself.  The entire 12 week program is based around my body’s natural female menstrual cycle.  To maximize when my estrogen is at its lowest & my testosterone is at its highest.  I planned carefully around the time of the month a female is also most susceptible to injuries based on that menstrual cycle.  Program: bodyspace: skinny girl problems by: Bootheel Fitness

So today was the kickoff of my program I planned all by myself.  I took my before pictures to post to see if my plan works when the after pics are done.  I planned this program in a total of 9 hours worked, accumulated.  When I started I thought I can do this, but then half way through my internal monolog kicked in.  Thinking to myself, “I think your eyes were bigger than you stomach girl!”  In other words, you really wanted to see how far you could push yourself, & you may have over thought your capabilities. 

I thought of a person I truly look up to when that negative thought crossed my mind.  That person was Dana Bailey.  Jamming to her hubby, Rob Bailey, I said to myself, “Hell no!  Days off I don’t play that shit!” I then started to really push myself hard!  You could say beast most engaged. 

This was just workout 1 of 2.  Yeah, I start off with an easy 2 a day for the first day of a program.  A 2 a day can weed out the week, & we are here for results baby! This workout was deltoid only! I pushed through and completed 1 of 2. Thought I couldn’t do it, but I did & what! Boom! Ranked it 10/10 on my bodyspace account.  Bodyspace: BootheelFitness or my name.

Waited 1.5 hours & started workout number two!  This workout focused on my lats and traps aka back.  I did not finish all of exercise 3 because I made a superset of 3 exercises.  I will retry this workout again and try again to see if I can finish the challenge I set forth before myself.  I’m a perfectionist in most everything I do. 

I finished with my hubby sitting in the gym cheering me on to finish.  It was nice having him there cheering me on.  I think it really did help push me further.  He’s a great hubby like that.  I finished my last exercise strong. I was pleased with my effort.  Gave this second workout another 10/10 on effort. 

HERE’S TODAY’S WORKOUTS (DLT):
workout 1-deltoids aka shoulders

SUPERSET: DB Arnold Press/Band Pull Apart
S=sets     R=reps    W=weight  

S-4
W-15 R-15/W-8 R-15
W-15 R-10/W-8 R-15
W-15 R-8/W-8 R-15
W-15 R-12/W-8 R-15

DB Seated Bent Over Rear Delt Raise
S-6
W-5 R-15
W-5 R-15
W-5 R-15
W-5 R-10
W-5 R-10
W-5 R-12

SUPERSET: Front DB raise/DB 1 Arm Upright Row
S-5
W-5 R-15/W-15 R-10
W-5 R-15/W-15 R-10
W-5 R-15/W-15 R-10
W-5 R-15/W-15 R-8
W-5 R-15/W-15 R-12

WORKOUT 2
Back-Traps & Lats

Barbell Shrug
S-5
W-45 R-40
W-45 R-30
W-45 R-30
W-45 R-30
W-45 R-30

SUPERSET: Close Grip Lay Pull Down/KB Sumo High Pull/Standing DB Upright Row
S-4
W-100 R-20/W-20 R-15/W-15 R-5
W-100 R-15/W-20 R-10/W-15 R-7
W-100 R-12/W-20 R-12/W-15 R-4
W-100 R-12/W-20 R-5/W-15 R-0  😦

Wide-Grip Pull Down Behind Neck
S-8
W-100 R-15
W-100 R-15
W-100 R-15
W-100 R-10
W-100 R-12
W-100 R-12
W-100 R-12
W-100 R-16

Thanks for reading!
♤Brittany Luppy ♤

♤BRITTANY LUPPY♤