This has been no kidding the most amazing personal experience ever, I can actually place it next to jumping out of a plane with a parachute (dad, if you’re reading this I don’t mean to freak you out and I promise I won’t do it again)   I arrived to the competition place expecting to find a lot of catty women, on the contrary, they were pretty awesome, supportive and helpful. I loved that they were there for me even when they didn’t know who I was and I was not part of any team there. I think we all knew how hard we had worked to get there so there was a level of respect that I have not experienced among women, it was a sisterhood and I loved it. As i got ready to go on that stage, these women cheered me on, encouraged me and told me “you’ll be great” and when I was done, they cheered me again and said what a great job I had done.

I was pretty calm until I had to walk on that stage, then it all hit me at once and I got a bit nervous… but then as the audience was silent… I heard my little girl yelling “YAAAY MOMMY!” and when it was my turn to pose she yelled: “GO MOMMY! GO MOMMY! GO MOMMY!” I remembered that I was not there by myself and that my daughter and my hubby were cheering for me from the audience. Joseph said that a few people chuckled at how cute my daughter was, she was the only child who did that

Once the competition was over, I felt pretty tired, burned out and exhausted. The first week after the competition was brutal. I wasn’t working out because my body needed rest more than anything. Quite honestly, I trained non-stop for five months with one rest day/week to reach my goal… you BET I was tired! So I took a break for a week and that week turned into two weeks. Yes, as shocking as it seems, I have NOT worked out for two whole weeks and I have been pretty good with my diet except for the pizza I had that made me sick this past week. I think my body was telling me NOOOOOOOOO!! DON’T EAT THAT PIZZA!  After losing one night of sleep (I won’t go into details) I can honestly say, lesson learned, my body just does not like that amount of greasy stuff and salt.

What seems incredible to me is that this all started with P90X. After completing the first 90 days and seeing my results I could tell that I had found something that truly worked, but I never thought that I would get into the shape I am now, at 43, after having a child! It all started with a comment from my hubby saying “I have seen this infomercial and I’d like to get P90X” and then I wrote a question to a Facebook friend at the time who later became my coach “Does P90X really work?” The truth is that once I saw my results, I had to keep going, pushing play and digging deeper. We bought RevAbs and then Insanity and here I was, getting ready to be on that stage after only 14 months of beginning my fitness journey.

So what now? My biggest fear quite honestly has been reverting to how awful I felt a year ago. I honestly don’t want to go back to that. I had no energy to play with Angelina and it felt awful. I never, ever, ever (did I say NEVER?) want to go back to that! So here I am, going into a maintenance plan, working out with Joseph and doing another round of P90X and then Asylum while P90X2 gets released. My diet is not as restricted, although I’m still eating clean (which means non-processed foods, no TV dinners and nothing that contains ingredients that I cannot pronounce.)  My goal for next year is to get the posing down to a “T”, more confident on that stage and come home with a trophy, that’s my personal goal. My professional goal is to help as many people as possible reach their fitness goals.

Maybe your personal goal is not to compete, maybe it’s just to feel more attractive to your hubby, or maybe it’s to fit into that beautiful dress that you have saved. I can tell you for sure, that If I could lose weight and get in shape, so can you. If you don’t know where to start, let me know and I will guide you and coach you for FREE. Send me a message for details or look me up at http://www.facebook.com/ExceptionalFitness

Yes, that’s me. I was obese in May of 2010. If you’ve been following my story, you may have read that I started working out with P90X and lost a substantial amount of inches in only 90 days. In February of this year, I decided to up my game a bit and joined training to become a bikini competitor. I was VERY shy about it at the beginning but because I was committed to breaking the mold and really pushing myself… I decided to announce it on this blog… (actually that’s not the truth LOL,) the real reason is that I know myself too well and the only reason that I would stick to the training and nutrition was if I announced that I was going to compete so I did. I let the cat out of the bag and announced it on this blog.

In March, Joseph (my hubby) told me that he was taking me to a bikini competition so I could get an idea of what it would be like. So we drove to Los Angeles and at the competition I met an amazing bodybuilder who inspired me with his story. He had beaten cancer and was getting ready to compete again after finishing his cancer treatments that week. I was amazed! He had even worked out during his treatments. With that, I told myself that I could do it too… all I had to do was lose the last few pounds and get toned.

I came back home that weekend and announced my competition date to my training group on Facebook: July 23, 2011. But would I be able to pull it off? I wasn’t sure and knowing me, I’m skeptical about everything. I try stuff thinking that it won’t work or that I won’t get what I want or whatever other silly story/excuse I can make up about whatever it is that I’m doing, so I try stuff for a few months to see if it works, if it doesn’t I simply give up and if it does, I never turn back and keep going. In order to get this training to work, I had to give it my 100% and stick to the plan, no kidding! So I did. I screamed, whined, complained at times. “I’m not getting results!” Then followed by really looking at what it was that I had failed at… the frozen yogurts ended up being too much of a temptation for me so they went out the window. Slowly but surely, my goal to compete became stronger than my urge to sabotage my training and nutrition. I was on a roll now, 100% committed to doing this. I could NOT give myself the luxury of standing on that stage and feeling underprepared physically or mentally.

Last week came and I was on an emotional high. I was excited, a bit spacey and extremely focused. I felt a bit tired too and it reminded me of my marathon training days, when you’re about to hit the finish line, you’re exhausted but you have NO other option but continue and so I did. I also noticed my tendency to bring a stressful situation that was unnecessary into my life. I had been contacted by someone who had offered me what seemed like a good business opportunity and I had to consider it, but when I reached out to someone for questions, the call did not go the way that I was expecting and I found myself shaken, in tears and pretty upset. I called Joseph and his response was: “You need to focus. You can’t allow yourself to be distracted by this. Surround yourself by those who empower you and don’t waste your time with those who don’t.” Those were the EXACT words I needed to hear.  I’ve noticed that whenever I am getting to do something BIG, I cause distractions to come into my life and under normal circumstances I would have thrown my arms up in the air and sabotaged my training and nutrition. I could have used this situation as an excuse, but I didn’t, I took my husband’s coaching and set that problem aside until after the competition when I had the ability to deal with it.

I booked a tanning session, hair and make-up session. I did not want to worry about having to do these things myself so I trusted myself into the hands of the very talented people who are experienced in these competitions and they were pretty darn amazing. My first tan coating was done on Friday afternoon. My hair and make-up were done Saturday morning at 4:30 AM., yes THAT early and so I was ready to go. The girls that compete were incredible. It wasn’t the usual cattiness that I would have expected in a competition… we all knew what we had been through, our hours of training and strict nutrition. We were considerate towards each other. They all knew I was brand new to this so when I went out there and came back, everyone back stage told me what a great job I had done.

No, I didn’t place and I honestly didn’t care. I had already won. I had told myself that my level of fitness at this moment in time was more than a trophy to me. The judges did not know what I had been through, what my weight-loss journey had been like, only I knew that. That was my trophy, my story, my weight loss triumph. I did it! I earned my right to be on that stage in only fourteen months and if I did it, anyone can.

So what now? It’s time to pay it forward. Now it’s my turn to help others lose the weight, get fit and healthy. If you’re interested in getting fit and healthy, send me a message and we can talk about it. You have nothing to lose… (except the weight) and a lot to gain, (your health).

So how do I feel? Well, I’m excited… it hasn’t quite sunk in yet. There are moments when I think about it and I get butterflies in my belly and there are times when I think about it and think to myself “this part is the easy part” My many months of training have been intense, saying no to cake, frozen yogurt, cookies and many other sweets that I would normally eat has been a bit of a challenge although it has gotten easier. I have learned a new level of focus, and keeping my goal in front of me… I have learned more than anything to NOT QUIT, I have reached a new level of consistency. That was the challenging part… and I’m not saying that walking with 5” heels and posing on the stage won’t be difficult because it will be, but I will just be dealing with the discomfort for a few minutes. The transformation I have gone through is deeper than I ever imagined. Heck, I would have normally quit this training at the first excuse I could find. Not this time… and yes there were many times when I wanted to quit… MANY, so many that I lost track.

But the truth is that I did not want to quit. I wanted to say “I DID THIS!” regardless of how I felt, of what a sacrifice it seemed like to others or the many funny faces I got when I’d turn down sweets or food. Am I proud of myself? Heck you bet I am!  Here’s the beauty of it, I now have proof that I can do whatever I put my mind to. This has been the MOST challenging thing I have done as a personal goal… (well besides jumping from a plane but other than the initial shock, followed by butterflies, thoughts of “oh crap!”  while your whole life flashes before you and finally followed by a feeling of ecstacy as your parachute opens. I can’t say that it was as hard as this training.) Why? Because I had to constantly fight my own thoughts of “I can’t” and find the support through accountability partners. That, I found was the only way to succeed… there was no other way.

I  could say that this training took me five months but the truth is that it really took me a whole year and two months of constant training, of eating clean, of working my butt off. I have had a lifestyle change for sure. I now know how to eat, what to eat and when to eat it, These changes are not temporary, they are permanent. While incorporating more healthy foods into my diet after this is done, I have learned that it’s worth it to have a cheat meal per week and now I know what to do if I ever decide to compete again… which who knows, I may surprise myself and just do it.

Some people try to find reasons to be motivated…  those who are inspired don’t find reasons, they just do it…. that’s the secret to success.

I am eating close to 2000 calories and burning lots of calories per day. I eat 8 meals a day. my lunch consists of 2 cups of spinach with olive oil and apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup brown rice and 6 sometimes 8 ounces of chicken depending on how hungry I am. My foods are delicious, made at home and well prepared. I am eating better than I ever have and I’m seeing the results of my diet and my workouts.

I am thankful to Beachbody for starting me on this amazing journey. My birthday is coming up next week and I am in the best shape of my life. Had someone told me a year ago that I would be competing I would have laughed and thought they were nuts! I can only imagine where I would be healthwise had I waited any longer to get in shape. Yes looking good in a bikini is a huge benefit, but that’s not what this is about, this is my story, this is me transforming my health… I was borderline obese a year ago, I was borderline diabetic and on my way to be another statistic… one more number to be counted among the many that have diabetes. Diabetes may not sound serious, but trust me the problems caused by diabetes are many: it causes liver failure, it’s the leading cause of blindness, it causes kidney failure and the list goes on.

I transformed my health, I transformed my fitness, I did it and so can you and I can coach you and provide the support you need for FREE. Let’s end the trend of obesity and start a new trend to living healthier and fuller lives. Join me in this journey, send me a message if you’d like to find out more.

We had some amazing conversations with my mom last week. I don’t know what happened that I was ready to listen to her in a way that I have never been ready to… realizing her vision for me and my life as well as her faith in everything that I do was the ultimate fuel I needed to continue with my goals, my training and where I’m headed to.

I had been a bit concerned about her stay with us, because I’m in the toughest phase of my training and nutrition. I was worried that I’d be tempted to have too many cheats on my meals or eat something that I shouldn’t at this point in my training, however, that wasn’t the case. We made sure we shopped for foods that she liked to eat and I just continued on with my competition diet and my training. I should also mention that my mom reversed her diabetes type 2 with good nutrition and exercise (yes it is possible), keep in mind that I’m not saying that a particular exercise will do this, but a good sensible diet, losing weight and exercise will help reverse your diabetes if you have recently been diagnosed. My mom worksout with Body Gospel and I will probably buy another program for her soon.

As we took her to the airport on Sunday, there was more of a sense of peace within me. I am thankful to see someone who is capable of having that unshakable faith. It has nothing to do with religion, but with knowing that when you have a vision you can stand in a place trusting that when you are in action in regards to that vision, everything will work itself out.

You rock mom!

I found out through my cousin about her passing. I casually told him when he contacted me after my daughter was born “send my love to your mom.” He replied “she died in May, but she had a good life.” I was shocked, sad and angry at my family for not telling me. It was obvious that they had not planned the secret too well. No one had thought that I may actually be in communication with one of my cousins and find out that way. When I gained weight after giving birth, my biggest fear was that I’d get diabetes too. I was at a higher risk because I had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Had I continued on the path I was going, I am 100% certain I’d have diabetes today.

 “Nothing fits, I’m fat… I hate this” I’d repeat those phrases constantly to my husband, everyday for a whole year. He was so tired of hearing me complain about the same thing over and over again, that one day he told me “stop complaining and DO something about it.” So with that, I decided it was time to get off my lazy butt. By then, something had shifted in me, I was grateful that I was still healthy and in time to reverse whatever damage I had caused in my body.

I remember how at this particular time, my husband and I had been able to move to a nicer property when a friend talked about P90X. I contacted him asking if it “really” worked and after I purchased P90X, he became my coach. The best thing about it, was that he never charged me a dime for coaching because his services were free to me through Beachbody… boy was I thankful that I now had a “free” coach who would support me because I needed ALL the support possible and trust me… I called him more than several times during the first 30 days. “This P90X thing isn’t working!” he’d say, “be patient and stop using the scale every day.” When my first 30 days rolled around, I had lost 8 inches around my waist. That’s when I knew… “This stuff really works!”

Being grateful about our circumstances really helps shift things and even transform them. This is not magical thinking, seriously.  The way I see it is that when we value or treasure something, we take care of it, right? We take care of our homes, our children because they are our treasure… if we were thankful about our health, wouldn’t we do the same? I know I am and I know I do. To be honest with you, this journey has made me a better person, more compassionate towards people who are on the same journey that I am because I KNOW how hard it is and I KNOW how much our mind wants to get in the way of our fitness. That’s why I chose to be a coach, because I’ve been there and I know how it is and to date, I STILL have that mental struggle.

As I end this blog entry, I leave you with the following thought: The secret to success is not a lack of failure, the secret to success is simply the act of not quitting regardless of how many times we fail. Instead of being hard on yourself for every time you fail… be thankful for those failures, because each failure will teach you something new if you let it; and each failure brings you closer to success.

If you like what you are reading and need a coach, contact me. My coaching is free with the purchase of any Beachbody product featured on this website. If you need more information, send me a message.

There are days that have been extremely easy. I workout twice a day, no problem, I eat my meals, no problem. I stay accountable, I drink all the water I’m supposed to drink and it seems easy. I REALLY thought I had it all figured out and once again I discovered that I don’t, that depending on my stress level or how tired I am, or how good I feel about things, there are days that will be better than others and sometimes, some weeks will be better than others.

When I got home on Friday night, I realized that the summer is coming, my daughter is “graduating” to the next class and guess what? She soon will be going to Kindergarten. i have been so busy working and my commute is so long that it adds 10 more hours to my work week. My university courses also take time and of course, my class has been somewhat neglected lately. When asked “what are you going to do with your degree?” I have no answer. So, I’m right now at a stage where I’m questioning my career A LOT. Do I want to be a writer? Maybe. But what is it that I’m REALLY passionate about? My family and of course fitness.

My focus right now in fitness is my competition, no questions about it. This competition training has been  a BIG challenge for me, I have seen my body slowly beginning to transform. But there are other things that have started to transform in me as well. I no longer give up on things so easily. I find solutions when I’m stuck on a personal decision to make and I feel good about my choice, instead of feeling helpless. It’s forcing me to grow up… AT 42!!! It has also provided me with a huge gift… the gift of friendship. I have met 30 amazing women in the process.

In the middle of all of these questions, today I received the sweetest email from a friend that I’ve been coaching. She acknowledged me and told me what a huge contribution I had been to her life by introducing her to fitness. I tell you honestly, I am not always the best at receiving an acknowledgment… but I got it this time. THIS is my career of choice and THIS is what I love to do.

A friend said “well I know someone who has 3 kids and looks great.” What was my friend’s response “Oh, she MUST have good genes.” Again, I said nothing… because to a certain degree, I actually also believed that it was true. But then with the help of P90X I proved (mostly to myself) that those theories were actually wrong. We CAN lose weight and we CAN lose our belly fat. I joke now: “It took me 42 years and having a child to get my 6 pack!” It sounds funny, but it’s true and you know what? Genes had nothing to do with it (I’m sorry if you’re a doctor, scientist, biologist or whatever, but no one in my family has abs! NO ONE!!!) And I’m still a work in progress, getting stronger!

So there you have it, 42 years, a child and six pack abs!

I was reading an interesting article a few weeks ago, that whenever an important chain store opens up in a town, the obesity rate in that town increases. The reason the experts say, is  the amount of processed pre-prepared foods that this particular super-store sells. We have one here where we live, and I can tell you first hand how when I had to go there so that my daughter could use their restroom the other day, out of 10 people walking into the store, 8 of them were obese. I could say that I don’t care, but I do. I really, really do… as someone who was close to being obese and as a mom, I know how challenging it is to lose weight, I know how preoccupying it is to not know what to do about our weight and I know the many diet fads out there cause people to yo-yo into heavier and heavier weights. Yep, I’ve been there, I’ve done that and I’m glad that I was finally able to beat this tendency and actually do something to transform my fitness and health.

I worry about children falling into their parent’s footsteps. I hear about kids being bullied in school all the time because of their weight. It’s difficult enough to try to fit in, let alone, try to fit in with a weight problem. It hurts their self esteem. I’m sure that no parent in the world would want their child to grow up with low self esteem, I know that none of us wants to have low self-esteem. The problem is that many of us just don’t know what and how to transform this trend of eating to death. If we did, it wouldn’t be happening. Right?

The answer is TCP, time, consistency and perseverance. Those three little words which have been forgotten in our fast society. Think about it, we no longer have to wait til harvest time to pick up our produce, we now have grocery stores with a large supply of them,  hence the tendency to look for a fast and easy solution to lose weight. If we could push a button to fitness, trust me there would be a line for it, but then there is! Right in the comfort of your home, push a button, play one of the many fitness DVD’s and you have a trainer right there in your home to help you with fitness. Seriously! You don’t even have to drive to the gym. This is one of the things I love about the Beachbody products. They really did hire some of the best trainers in the U.S. to help you get fit. So now you have the time thing taken care of, you just have to work on your consistency and perseverance. That’s where I come in as your free coach. Beachbody pays me to coach you so you don’t have to pay me.

If you are interested to hear more, contact me.

Click here for the link to the report on the super store.

Today happens to be my wedding anniversary as well. My wonderful, amazing, freakingly handsome husband has joined me in the efforts of getting in shape as well. He also looks much younger, has more energy and let me tell you, is looking quite hot. If we added how much we’ve lost together, I can tell you that 100 Lbs. are gone, gone, gone, forever! Just like the 365 days that I’m telling you about.

I know I don’t have control over the future, I don’t know what next year is going to bring, but at least I can be responsible for my health, for feeling and looking healthy and for teaching our daughter to eat healthy, nutritious, delicious foods. We no longer eat processed foods, nothing that has been pre-cooked and sold frozen at the grocery store. We have learned to eat at home more often, which has affected our wallet favorably. We also have taught our daughter to enjoy foods that we make at home. We are growing tomatoes, blackberries and strawberries. She enjoys watering her plants and baby talks to them which I must say, is quite cute.

I can’t help but feel proud of my achievement, every muscle that peeks out, every time I realize I’m stronger than the previous week gives me a reason to do a Snoopy dance. I am THRILLED to go shopping for smaller clothes! Even my small clothes I had stored are fitting me loose here and there… I weigh more than when I met Joseph, but I am a size smaller. That’s what muscle definition does.

My daughter is taking after me, flexing her little arms and saying “I am STRONG mommy! I have MUSCLES!” What a difference that is, from the conversations I hear from the media, teaching girls that rail skinny looks good or selling the latest diet fad. She imitates my P90X moves, tries to do push ups and even will do some Kenpo X moves whenever she has an opportunity. This wouldn’t be possible without my hubby’s help, support, commitment and encouragement to our health and fitness. We have fun together, and make fitness fun for us as well.

This post goes to my hubby, I love you, I celebrate my partnership with you and our commitment to our family, to health and fitness. Here is to many more, healthy, fit years to come with you.