Natural Olympia

When I started training for my first bodybuilding show in January of 2011, the thought didn't occur to me that I could make it to the stage of one of the largest natural bodybuilding shows in the world. I hardly knew anything about the sport at that time. All I knew is that I had a goal (New Years resolution) to be more fit and healthy and if I made it on stage great, but if not then I knew I would have made progress otherwise. As you know I made it on stage for my very 1st bodybuilding competition at the NGA Mountain States "The Show" on May 14, 2011.

5th place & Best Female Poser

After being on that stage and having the opportunity to present my hard work and dedication of being at the gym every morning at 6am for 5 months and eating a very strict diet of 1200 calories a day, I fell in love with the sport. Not because I want to show off, but because it is a way to motivate others and show them that it IS possible to go from point A to point B with diet and exercise. There isn't a magic pill, drink, or some other special way to look fit quick. It takes time and hard work, but in the end it means that much more to you and you learn a lifestyle change. Following through with that New Years resolution was by far THE BEST decision I have made. 

September 22, 2012 I made it to the stage for the 2nd time at the INBA/PNBA Team USA's National competition in Las Vegas, NV. Competing nationally for my 2nd show was a bit overwhelming, especially because all my training and dieting was done through fire season. I couldn't believe the mass I was able to put on and how lean I got while having an unplanned schedule, doing workouts on the fire line, and only eating things I was able to carry in my pack. It was super hard and my crew members thought I was crazy when I would grab nozzles out of the engine to do lateral raises! haha Well...my shoulders have never been so striated! :) 

Making it to the Natural Olympia for my 3rd bodybuilding competition is a huge accomplishment in itself whether placing or not. I was really excited to be there and be competing against some of the best physiques in the world. Sad to say that I wasn't feeling my best when the pre-judging show came around Friday morning. I was quite bloated with lack of spunk. When I stepped on stage I knew this, but gave it my all. After the pre-judging was over my trainer and I decided to test something out with my intake of carbs and water...lo and behold...it worked! I felt brand new and my abs popped again and I was more vascular than ever! It is a shame we didn't catch that before I was judged that morning, but at least we can say we know what to do for the next competition! So, needless to say I didn't look my best on stage. In my eyes, I still came out a winner at the competition. I made new friendships, gained an amazing family within the BE team, and created memories I will never forget. 

November 9, 2012

Thank you to all who have supported and encouraged me in one way or another, whether you know it or not. You are my motivation to keep pushing and become better everyday. 

Rice Pudding and a cookie tip

I had leftover brown rice in the fridge and was thinking of how I could use it besides as a side for my carb meals. Just as I always do, I went to bed last night creating this morning's breakfast in my head. I decided to try something with the rice, and this is what was made...Vanilla rice pudding with blueberries. It was SO easy and super delicious.

1/2 C brown rice
1 scoop vanilla BE whey protein
handful of blueberries
Unsweetened almond milk to a creamy consistency. (start with maybe 1/8C) I forgot to measure. As you stir it gets creamier, so don't over do the milk.

Mix well and eat!

Cookie tip:
I made cookies the other day (I don't do often) and when I pulled them out of the oven as directed, they looked gooey still so I put them back in for a couple minutes. Yeah, bad idea...the cookies ended up being a little more on the done side than preferred. I was thinking of a possible remedy to soften overdone cookies, and I thought, if you can put a piece of bread in brown sugar to keep it moist maybe I could try it with cookies. I did and it worked! The cookies were resurrected to a soft and delicious state :)