I'm still here!

So it's been a couple months since I've updated my training....

I've been really focusing on some fitness moves, very much dedicated to doing a fitness show next year. I'm done competing in figure. It's just a dead-end road for me. At 40yrs old, I can't compete with the "beauty" of younger girls; skin, hair, etc... And I'm def more muscular than the girls who are winning. Plus, my conditioning leaves me much more vascualar than the younger gals. And being in Japan, I refuse to pay all the travel expenses when i know there is so much working against me.

In fitness, I will get judged 50% in Physique and 50% in a routine. The routine must include a 1 arm pushup, 2 straddle holds, high kicks and a split. As of today, Nov 23, I have about 5 more inches to go in the split.

I've been HARD CORE working at strength moves, and the workouts are FUN. 1 arm pushups, handstand pushups, pullups, and plyo jumps are all helping me stay fit and build on a routine.

So.... if all goes well, I may try to military-fly it back to Seattle in April for the Emerald Cup. I'll start training my girls for Figure again in January here in Japan, so my training (dieting) officially starts in Jan 2010.

I'll post some videos soon. For my birthday next month, I'm making a video of a crazy 40 yr old woman doing 10 pullups, 8 one arm pushups and some walking on her hands :)

1 month post show

Hi all, thanks for keeping up with me..

I'm back in Japan now, back to work and the boys are at school most of the day. I've been trying to find my motivation again... so hard after a show when you didn't do as well as you'd hoped.

I am REALLY considering trying fitness. I'm just so disenchanted by the physical fitness levels of the girls I stand next to on-stage - the actual strenth and athleticism of these chicks. It's disturbing to hear that the girl who beats you, has been drinking chocolate shakes and just doing cardio weeks before the show. Esp when i can do 10 dead-hang pullups and shoulder press 40lb dbells with ease.

I know that i'm strong and would love a chance to show it. However, i'm not FLEXIBLE and i'm going to be FORTY years old in a couple months. Nothing like trying to pretend you're young again???...

The only thing i do know is that i cannot do figure again. Even after looking at the Olympia - PROFESSIONAL FIGURE GIRLS - it's clear to me that they are looking for softer, young bodies. That AINT ME. So insted of complaining, i'm back to the drawing board. Stay tuned and LOVE TO ALL!@!!

Photos below from a shoot I did with Dan Ray..

It's over!

Back from the show...

i placed 3rd in Masters, and feel pretty good about how i looked. I think i could have eaten too much in the last day, which left my midsection HARD to hold in... but it did smooth me out overall - so i'm still trying to figure it out :)

I'm going back to the drawing board... thinking about what's next. 2 years in Japan makes it hard to get back and compete, which makes it hard for the judges to remember me. If they don't see me, it hurts me in my next show...

For now, it's back home to get my boys started back to school, time for my hubby and back to training for me.

Thank you for all the kind words and support. It really makes this all more worth it :)

Much love~ xo

2 days out!

Adding one more post here, before the big day.

I've been upping my carbs over the last couple days, and my weight has stayed THE SAME?! I'm as veiny as ever and know that if i go into the show this way, i'll be marked DOWN. Sandy, the head judge, is on a rampage about the girls looking too hard.

The only thing that might help me is that i'll be competing in Matsters too. They sometimes allow the masters to be a bit more hard b/c of our age.... nice :(

Anyway the plan is this; add all my sweet potoatoes in today, along with another bag of rice cakes and PB. i have 2 meals of orange roughy to spread out tomorrow, along with my bacon/cheeseburgers. I have 2 photo shoots lined up tomorrow, so i'll asses how i look during those. Prob have to keep eating shit all day long.

If i'm veiny-weird before bed tomorrow night (fri) i'll have a milkshake and find the saltiest junk food i can find in a hotel (chips or pizza) and eat the crap out of it. I'll also NOT be cutting my water at all.

Then, Sat i'll just pose very loosely, not flexing at all. Hopefully, it's good enough.

if they don't like me, i'm ok with that. This is THE BEST SHAPE ive ever been in at almost 40. I like everything about my body right now (everything that i can control/change). So this is me at my best, happy no matter what!

love and appreciation to everyone supporting me. it means everything. THANK YOU! xoxoxo

FINAL WEEK

So i'm back in Ohio for my last week. Just went tanning to get the last little bikini line off my butt, and wouldn't you know it - i got burnt! Hopefully it will go away with no peeling :(

I'm feeling very lean and pretty good for a week out. i'm going back and forth of whether or not to start eating some carbs NOW, or wait till about Wed.... OR just keep doing what i've been doing and eat junk the day before.

i'm really leaning toward doing less protein this week, more carbs (like oats 2X and rice cakes 2X) and then cardio until Wed evening.

Either way, i feel the BEST i've ever been. I'm hoping to shine in Masters, but either way, i'm happy with ME.

10 DAYS OUT!!!

Am up visiting Jims family in Michigan till the end of this weekend. Hitting the gym twice a day. For the rest of this week, going to go pretty low carb, high cardio. The gym here has some TRX bands hanging from the ceiling, so i've been torturing myself with them for "fun" :)

I feel good, so hopefully that isn't bad? Looking forward to driving up to Cleveland next weekend! I'm really excited about this show and very hopeful to do well in Masters.

If you dont' mind, pls say a little prayer for me. I could use it - THANK YOU! xoxoxo

Back in Ohio!

So we just flew in last night, i went to bed at 3am and Brady came to get me up at 7am. That's called "forced time-change"!

I was pretty shredded before i left, so i used the flight as my one last cheat meal, at 2 weeks out. No worries about it, i'm still veiny as crap this am.

Now to find the gym here at my moms house - she lives on a farm. I'll run her hills for cardio and go to the local YMCA. I'll be making a trip up to Michigan in a couple days to visit Jims parents and stay with his sister. She's got a rockin gym by her house. Dieting there won't be a problem.

Then the last week - next week - i'll come back down to my moms, and drive up to Cleveland on Friday am to check in. My prejuding is on SATURDAY and will be at 9am. I'll be doing Open and Masters so 2 chances to wow them :) I have 3 friends coming to watch me, my sister in law and niece and hopefully my dad and son Gabe will drive up that morning too. So cool to have people there for the FIRST TIME! Really makes a difference :)

The best place to find local coverage is www.siouxcountry.com, go to the NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS. Somewhere on that post, will be callouts or pics.

I prob wont get any other pics up on my blog, my momma lives on a farm, remember?! :) AND her camera/phone/computer is not picture friendly :(

Going to the grocery this am! CANT WAIT to just walk up and down the isles, drooling at all the choices.... and then to find coffee.... and then to take a nap and get up and workout :)

p.s. Miss my hubby already :( if it weren't for his support, i would never be able to do all this. He lets me follow my dreams and I love him dearly ~ xo

3 weeks out!

So, this past week was another OK week. I seem to rotate great weeks with OK weeks? It's like my body knows that after i crush it and it drops some weight, it needs a week to rest. Weird.

Anyway, I lost another lb that I fought HARD for! Twice a day cardios and the most boring diet; I am really hungry for some carbs.

I do feel like i'm ahead of where I was the last couple shows. My glutes are tighter and the rest of my body is not so ripped. I'm still planning on coming in very tight and just eating some crap the day before the show. I found a 5 Guys Burgers in Cleveland 11 miles from my hotel. 2 bacon cheeseburgers and a milkshake or two, spread out after 2pm on Friday. Should smooth me right out for prejuding Sat morning :)

Hopefully, we'll get out of Okinawa next Sat the 15th on the military flight. If not, we'll be home for sure on the 19th, 10 days before my show. I have commercial tickets reserved; 3 tickets for $4000.00 YIKES!

Thanks again for looking... posting these weeks pics with pics from just a few weeks ago. Definite improvments!

4 weeks today!

After taking pics last week at 147, these new pics are at 143lbs. I dropped more weight this week b/c i'm still sick and my body is finally cooperating with me. I think all the extra REST has been my ticket. Plus, not being able to TASTE your food really makes you NOT want to eat. Just not fun. They aught to find a way to kill the taste-buds... dieters dream :)

The pics aren't as great as Id expected, but it's progress. And the light just doesn't do the suit justice. It's so much prettier in person.

I have 2 weeks here till I fly back home, then 2 weeks visiting in Ohio before show-day. My plan is to add more carbs back in my diet, since i'm only 2 lbs away from where I normally compete. I want to just train the CRAP out of my legs, butt, abs and shoulders, to help carve them up a bit more. And keep the cardio a bit more moderate then usual. I'd love to get under 140lbs for this show. Have never been that light.

So until next week, thanks for reading! :)

Must vent...

Ever since I posted my ab pics on Face Book, i've been getting lots of comments. A couple that really IRK me (and prob just b/c i'm so dieted out) are, "wow, you changed fast!" or "you got lean really quick".

Sounds like a compliment, and i'm SURE it was ment as a compliment, but honestly... I'VE BEEN BUSTING MY ASS FOR 5 WEEKS NOW! Nothing came fast, nothing came easy. And no, i'm not taking anything either!

This is just as hard for me, (and even HARDER - it seemed - this time) than anyone else prepping for a show. Mind you, i stay around 16% body fat for most of the off-season, but droping just 2 lbs for me at this time takes an all out effort on all fronts!

My body stayed at 147 for about 3 weeks straight. I was dieting and training like a MADWOMAN, and it just wouldn't budge. I was really confused. Then, i got very sick, and I think it was a blessing.

When I was sick for 4 days straight, I ate less than normal, but what I did eat was 100% on my diet. I had no appetite and couldn't taste, so I didn't WANT anything. I cut out all Splenda, spices, salsa, anything that wasn't protein or veggies,... and I RESTED!

That combo, got my body into motion. And it's been about 1 week since I first got sick, i feel 95% back to normal, my appetite is still IN CONTROL, i dont' have cravings and i'm also NOT torturing myself with workouts. I did very little this week and have already lost another lb.

I feel calm, in control, and just good. THIS is how I'll continue the next 4 weeks.

So when you meet someone in the last month of a dieting season, really choose your words carefully. Dont look at them like, "god, how do you do that?" or say "just tell me what you eat".... like you really think if I tell you what I eat, you could do it?!!! :)

Dont make someone like me, in my state, have to give you lots of information right now. It's just not possible. My brain only has room for me, my family, and my food. Then I'm sleepy.

Thanks, and can't wait to take pics again this weekend!!!!!

5 weeks and counting...

So week by week, things get more interesting...

This last week, i got NASTY sick on Thursday, and did nothing but sleep for 4 days. On Sat I took pics in my suit... not pretty, but i'm posting to show how much of a change happened in just 2 days. Sat morning I was 147 and looked like this:



Sunday i woke up and the scale had dropped to 143.5 lbs. I had done nothing diff, was eating and drinking ON-SPOT, just like the last 4 days? Tonight (Monday) here's the difference....



Moral of the story.... sometimes the human body has mind of it's own?! More to come,
xoxox

6 weeks out!

OK, so i skipped week 7... let me tell you why...

That was THE hardest week I think I ever had - EVER! I busted my ass, ate like a champ, and actually GAINED 3 lbs at the end of the week. It was so bizzare?! If I had never done a show, or hadn't known that this crap actually works, i just may have quit. But I persisted and it paid off; I lost 4 lbs over the weekend until today, Monday.

I guess the body has a mind of it's own sometimes?

Moral of the story; if you want to quit, wait. Do your work, follow your program, and eventually it will come off. Just don't give in.

I feel so strong, and can just feel things going in the right direction. I look forward to my egg whites and scoop of cottage cheese every night, followed by 4 sugarless popsicles and about 6 pieces of sugar free, berry paradise Extra gum.

Coffee with an extra shot of espresso gets me thru most days. As does my new favorite breakfast; egg white/chicken ommelete with asparagus. I use about 3 egg whites, chopped onion, asparagus, and mushrooms, 3 oz of cooked, chopped chicken, 1 pinch of cheese and 1 tbsp salsa. If it's a day i need more fat, i'll add a japanese egg yolk. Those local eggs are amazing! Very orange and yummy!

I've got a babysitter to come at 730am till 930am most mornings so i can get my cardio in at the gym, along with some stretching or quick weights. Then I come home and try to entertain the boys; we've been to over 5 diff pools around here, plus the off-base swiming areas. I'm so freckled, I actually look like I have a tan. Just have to make sure i don't get any heavy tan lines around my butt again. The jan tana didn't cover it up last show.

Then, most night, after jim gets home, i go back to the gym for more cardio. I just need to shrink down my overall shape, and get my butt tight. I def can see that I brought out my lats and rear delts this offseason - I pounded them! I was suprised to see them sticking out the other night. Now's the time you start looking at yourself everytime you walk by the mirror.

I'll take pics Sat in my suit and post them. I love the suit, it's just beautiful!

Thanks for reading and keeping up with me. less than 5 weeks and i'll be flying out with the boys back to OHIO!
*smootch*
Shelly

8 weeks out

Just a couple shots before my suit gets here later this week...

Am feeling leaner, but it's def HARD right now. I think it's hard EVERY time, but once you get down, you seem to forget the agony of the journey - much like child birth :)

Anyway, my diet has now gone back to mainly protein and a bit of fat and a few veggies here and there. I can't do carbs much at all. Anything other than oats early in the day, and then maybe a grapefruit every few days... but more than that and I get HUNGRY pretty bad. I try some small amounts of rice or rice cakes and I can't do it. I cope better on just plain NO CARBS. My moods are better, and my hunger is down. My energy completely sucks by about Thursday, but that's to be expected. Most of Thursday is pretty much a rest day. I got up for a run today (Wed am) and could barely walk for most of it. Not pretty.

But this is my prep... gotta shave down to Anorexia (LOL) then carb up slightly at the end or just eat wild for a day. We'll see how going home a week early treats me :O Still about 7lbs to go!

I'll take pics in my suit next week. Thanks for looking around and leave a comment or question if you want!
xoxo

My prep - 10 weeks out

Well, this is my first post of my precontest prep. I'm just under 10 weeks out of the North Americans in Cleveland Ohio, Aug 28/29. It will be my 3rd time doing this show. The last 2 times, I placed 8th in the Open figure class, and came in 3rd in the Masters Division.

My goal is to WIN the Masters Division and get my Pro Card *after doing Nationals for five years - it's about time!

This is the best offseason I've ever had. I stayed relatively lean throughout. I had Kim Oddo help me with an offseason plan, that focused on building my rear delts and quads. Hopefully, this has helped enhance my not-so-great X frame. we'll see when I'm under 10%!!

For now, I've cleaned up my diet, no more alcohol, still cheat on the weekends, and trying to go low carb right now. Once I get down another 5ish lbs, then I'll bump some carbs back in.

My workouts have been 2 a days on Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, and only once on Thu and Sat. I'm doing at least one hour of cardio on those days, and mixing up the weights with compound movements, and still focusing on rear delts, quads, and biceps mostly.

i feel at this point, I know my body, If i do too many leg presses, or squats, it will only compound my large ass and midsection. Lunges are the biggest compound movement I do for legs, and most are plyo-lunges. I do LOTS of incline walking, lunging, stair climbing and track work for legs. I feel strong, now just have to put in my time to cut the fat off my butt.

I'll prob have to get very lean - too lean for figure - and then shit load the day before the show. That's what's been the best for me in the past. Last show (november 2008) I was too careful with food, and came in too skinny. Of course, that was also after a 18 hour flight from Japan....

This time, Ill be coming home 8 days before, so i'll have time to adjust and know what to do. I'm taking my boys home, to stay with my Mom in Lima Ohio, then drive up to Cleveland for my show.

I'll be posting pics soon... not really wanting to... but know I have to :)

ACfE videos...

Crossover Press ~ Working the legs, core and shoulders

Hanging Leg Tuck ~ Full core movement.

Sit up Press ~ Core, chest, legs and shoulders.

Plate Swing~ legs, back, core and shoulders.

Lunge/Lunge/Squat~ Plyos for thighs and ASS!

Heidis Transformation

Here is Heidi's final transformation photos with me. She leaves Japan officially on Sunday, to go to Virginia Beach VA.

In 5 months, she lost a total of 23 lbs, her bodyfat dropped 8% and she lost 3.5 inches off her thighs. Her pictures speak for themselves!

Heidi was a fierce athlete. Week after week, she stayed on her diet, got her cardio in - sometimes 3X a day - and she never said she couldn't do anything. Even as she took her final PT test for the AirForce; she had injured her leg doing an exercise a week before. The day of her test, she pulled the same muscle as she began the run, but pushed thru, getting the BEST score she ever had! She was only 25 seconds from getting a PERFECT fitness score!

Before she left, she packed all her workout clothes, as much dry dieting food as she could, and has planned her workouts around her entire trip back home. This is one of the reasons she was so sucessful throughout her weight loss journey. Things don't just come to you, you have to work for them.

She's a warrior and a trainers DREAM! I know she'll keep up with her goals of continuing to lose and tighten up her lower body by next year, so that she's a Rockin' 40 year old wife and Mom of two. If not, you can promise I'll hunt her down on Face Book and "convince her" otherwise :)

She's a keeper and I'll really miss her!~

BEFORE AND AFTERS

Here are each of my 6 figure clients before and after photos! Very proud of each of them, they put in long, hard cardio sessions, and lots of egg whites, oatmeal and fish for these bods!

JESSA


JENNY


CARRIE


BARBARA


ALYSONN


KIM

RESULTS

Miss Kim won the short class and overall


Miss Carrie won the Tall class....




Jessa got second in Tall and Barbara placed 4th in Short.





Jenny and Alysonn just looked BEAUTIFUL all night long :P
....

A good night!!!!