A change in gears…

Gears, get it? I’m about to talk about cars for a second.  ha!

Those who know me find it not surprising that I often work on my car….or Roxy, as I call her.  She is a 5 speed VW golf and is undergoing many changes through a kind of long period of time.  (AKA owning a house makes one broke) Anyways, yesterday I went out to a friends house and set myself up to sand blast my new (craigslist new) wheels.  I plan to plasti-dip them asap in preparation for my trip to SOWO next week.  I was ready with long sleeves, pants, a face wrap, and safety glasses.  I’m sure those of you that media blast all the time already know where I went wrong, but I will put it out there anyways.  Goggles, not safety glasses, are a MUST!!

You might ask why I bring this up….considering this blog is for workouts, and fitness goodies, not car related posts better shown on a forum for idiots who don’t know how to properly sand their wheels.  (sigh*)

Well, though I showered off most of the sand stuck in all my cracks and crevices last night, I noticed a little eye irritation last night which compounded and became excruciating this morning.  I’ve irrigated my eyes for what seemed like hours, finding black bits of sand every time I looked into the mirror.  I’m at the point now where I feel like there are tiny little knifes stabbing me every time I blink.  This is probably from the corneal abrasions due to lots of sand, blinking, and eye rubbing.  😦

Today I am dawning no makeup, which for me, is simply eyeliner/mascara.  😦  (Tragic I know) But at least I still have vision!!

Ok, now let me elaborate and continue here with what today’s post was actually going to be about!!!

Though we didn’t make it into the gym today, we got a lot done around the house as far as spring cleaning is concerned!! Making room for a riding lawn mower is one feat.  I also began my vegetable growing adventure with these cute little peat pots! If nothing green ever pokes it’s head through the special veggie growing soil then so be it, as we came across everything I needed to grow at a yardsale. We may have paid a dollar for all of it. We take our yardsaling seriously.

Here is another random tidbit.  Don’t eat chips.  Chips provide nothing good for your diet.  Now that it’s been said, and you are still planning to eat chips, try these.  🙂 I also have got to recommend “Eat your Veggies” chips. AMAZE-BALLS!!  Italian Herb and olive oil takes the cake as far as flavors are concerned.  Just remember that when eating a treat like chips, to look at the serving size.  For the chips below, a serving size is 13 chips!  Count out 13 chips and put the bag out of sight.  Then you can take your time and enjoy eat one, knowing that you can eat all that sit in front of you! 
Haha, and you’ll want to dip them into this… If you’ve never tried hummus because you dislike chick peas, try it anyways because I HATE chick peas. Just make sure you try a garlic or spicy version when you do.  Hummus includes about 4-5 grams of fat but even still, is a great source of Omega 3’s!!

Well, now that today’s post has gone all over the place…I think it’s time to call it a wrap.

Remember today’s tip!  Wear safety goggles. lol

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Fitness sprinkles

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Which Whey to go…

So, many of you are asking me what kinds of protein to drink as well as what supplements to take. When I first started to go to the gym and I took nothing at all to supplement my diet, I didn’t notice much difference in anything. That is, I didn’t work myself any harder than normal, my body didn’t hang on to any muscle, and my energy was “eh” to say the least. I know what you are thinking…is everything just a placebo and you only “think” it’s benefiting your body? I personally don’t feel like you can take a pile of pills and powders all at once in a day and expect the body to absorb them all. But what that simply means is, they need to be taken at the right times and maybe spread out through the day.

Here are some supplements that I recommend, and what they can do to benefit your body.

Fish oil: WHY? I’m sure you’ve all heard that fish oil can give you the burps, (reason enough not to take it right?) Wrong! Try Nature Made Fish Oil Gummies! They come in a variety of flavors and honestly taste like candy to me. I’ve also never had an issue with burping up any “fishy tastes”.

Daily Multi vitamin: I feel this is necessary for everyone in order to get ENOUGH of every supplement. You may say, well I drink milk, or I drink orange juice. Unfortunately, there is no way daily food intake is giving the right amount of vitamin intake the body needs on a daily basis. My recommendations are, that if you work out a lot, to take a vitamin either a men’s or woman’s that supports that active lifestyle. There are a lot out there to choose from.

EGCG: Green tea Extract (Because just drinking green tea helps, but won’t have the same effects as taking the supplement) Why?

Glucosamine/Chondroitin: This concoction supports normal joint function. WHY? I have noticed after have been taking a regular dose of this supplement, combined with my workout routine, an increase in flexibility and recovery of joint soreness.

Glutamine:WHY? L-Glutamine does some pretty amazing stuff for our bodies. And since the levels in our bodies are depleted during working out, we must put enough of the supplement back in to recover. But you don’t need to work out a ton in order to take this one. It’s been shown to strengthen the walls of the intestines and even to help heal ulcers! You can get this supplement in many forms, such as yummy powders and drinks. I prefer, (only because they are like candy!!!) Glutamine chewies by Betancourt. A serving size is 4 tablets so stocking up on this one is important if you plan to take it daily.

Quite a list right? Now let’s get into Whey powder and pre workout drinks…

I was recommended Creatine Monohydrate before working out but have found no significant increase in my energy levels. I did a little research and found that monohydrate has a tendency to make one bloat. But Creatine Ethyl-Ester absorbs quicker and yields less digestive issues.
I now use N.O.-Xplode by BSN
and love it. I’ve noticed a huge increase in power, endurance, and focus while working out. But caution!! This must be taken about 30 minutes in advance of working out, otherwise you’ll be very dissapointed. It happened to me the other day when I wasn’t able to begin my workout as planned. I got the shakes and felt as though I was going to puke my brains out…kind of like you are going to Explode! Don’t make that mistake.

Another pre workout supplement that was recommended as I am writing this blog, was G-Fuel by Gamma Labs. I’ll definitely have to try this one too! It’s Paleo friendly with only natural vitamins and minerals, leaving no jitters and no crash (bc no sugar) Thanks Davie! 🙂

As far as Whey Isolate goes…there are many many many varieties to choose from. I will simply tell you what I like. Syntha-6 is crazy good and contains a lot of extra nutrients. You can find it at BSN. It also comes in some amaze-balls flavors!!! My fave? Chocolate chip cookie dough.
Another one I use is About Time. I would have to say that this is one of the cleanest whey supplements around. It’s great during hardcore training or being on a strict diet like Paleo. One scoop is only 103 calories with 0 carbs, 0 sugars, and 0 fat! And for 25 grams of protien combined with a variety of yummy flavors…it is awesome. 🙂

Intra-workout supplement! I almost forgot!! No question…I use XTEND by Scivation It burns fat, builds muscle, and helps the body recover faster.

Ok, I’m outta here. Hopefully I didn’t leave much out. Feedback is appreciated! And hopefully I was able to give everyone some insight on some beneficial vitamins/minerals/supplements that can make for living life to its fullest. Like I said in the beginning, it’s basically what I use now, but I am open to changing things up and recommendations from anyone else who might take something different! Let me know!! 🙂

Remember, you can find me here for recipes and updates throughout the week! Fitness sprinkles

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A special thanks.

Ok, so now that it’s over…well, it’s been over for some time, (and yet it’s only just begun) ha! I have to thank everyone who got me ready for my very first competition. I went from nothing to stage ready in 12 weeks.  Special thanks to Jess W. for all the training and nutritional tips, to Erin I. for all the walking and posing help (Did you see the lobster claw in this one? GUILTY!! And of course it haunts my most favorite pic) To John J. for all the massage therapy and support to kill it, To Josh G. for all the handy tips and support to keep me going, To Chris P. for all the crazy good music in spin! :)To Mike Halsey for promoting the shit out of the show!

Ok, ok…now that I’ve gotten that out of the way and shown you all my stage body, competed, and eaten all the junk food and greasy pizza I could handle afterwards, it’s time to get back on track.  

Back to eating clean and feeling great!  I of course will be filling all my readers and followers in on all the junk I’m doing and “not junk” that I am eating.  haha

I have a little over two weeks until my trip to AZ and then on to GA for vacation!!! Gotta continue to eat right and hit the gym hard so that I can enjoy all the fun and yummy treats May will bring my way without the guilt.  

Remember, it’s not how someone else sees you, it’s how you see yourself.  If you are unhappy with your own self image then it’s time to take action! Other’s might speak negatively towards what you are doing but it’s not their body, it’s yours.  And only YOU will have it forever.  So make it something you can be proud of.  🙂

 

Lettuce begin. Ha!

Well, it’s official.  This is the first post with the launch of all my fitness/workout junk! I know, you are all thinking…”who does this girl think she is? She competes in just one bodybuilding show and she is already telling people how to take care of themselves?”  

False.  Take this as nothing more than a personal experience blog.  It’s a journal, a window into what is working for me, motivation, and a place for others to share their ideas also!  

The truth is, I’ve come a long way since beginning my journey into the competition world and I am hooked.  I’ve signed on for at least two more upcoming shows and plan to share my experiences, recipes and photos along the way.  I plan to break into the fitness world one way or another.  So follow along if you wish, or maybe you’ve already stopped reading. For those who want more….

Welcome to what I call, Fitnessprinkles (but not with 3 s’ because that just looks weird) 

BRING ON THE SPRINKS! 

Vinyl stickers of the Sprinkles logo will be available very soon to all my interested readers!  So stay tuned and be sure to follow me on facebook!