Friday, November 30, 2012

It's not your metabolism, its you.

Okay, I hate to be the barrier of bad news but your recent love handles are not the lack of a "slow metabolism." Its you, what your eating and how much or how little exercise your getting. Don't feel like you are alone in this boat, I was there too. "I have a slow metabolism" is what I would say to deflect from the fact that I was frustrated because I hadn't lost any weight and I was constantly at the gym and eating "heathly." I also blamed stress, moving and starting a new job but that's another story.

The real fault looking back was the amount of calories I thought I was in eating versus the actual amount. This is where a food journal comes into play if you are trying to loose weight because there is no mistake in how much you eat. It is there on paper in black in white like an agreement to yourself.

When we are frustrated because the scale hasn't budged or even gone up we need some where to point the blame but like they say there is one finger pointing at the scale and three pointing back at you. I began to reflect on the months when I was struggling with my weight and now understand that it wasn't my metabolism but the fact that I was consuming WAY MORE calories than I thought.

We on average consume almost twice the amount of calories we think we are in taking. This is basic math people...calories in - calories out = a consistent scale or if you are burning more calories than you are eating your scale will probably be less over time.

Don't believe me? Take a piece of paper and put down that bagel, muffin or whatever it is you are currently snacking on at your desk and write down for the rest of the day what time you eat and what you eat and I mean everything. Even that extra bite of someone else's afternoon doughnut (50 calories!). You will be surprised how much you are actually consuming and come to terms with the fact that its you and not your metabolism...

Tracking what you eat could be an important key to staying on track this holiday season which is why I will be launching Nicole's Fitness Advent Calendar starting December 1st. Each day I will post a tip or exercise you can do over the holiday season. No chocolate here people, just tips!

Stay tuned! A lot more great holiday tips and articles to come. I'm going back to the library today to get MORE books. I'm addicted and learning a lot which will enable me to share great information with you about health and fitness. If you'd like to jump start your healthy eating this weekend shop the Sequel eStore for Vega, MacaSure, and ChlorEssence products and receive free shipping on all orders over $100!

Happy Friday everyone!

Peace out.
Nic


Monday, November 26, 2012

Off Season Meal Plan

On Saturday I had posted a meal plan that I found online by Bob Harper, trainer from the Biggest Loser. The plan had a good structure but I need to alter it to meet my dietary needs since I cannot have dairy. Check out the post from Saturday November 24th for the original meal plan.

With my next show being the Inside Fitness Model search in Vancouver at the Edge Water Casino in March, my prep begins on January 2nd. I will be in the fitness model category at this show and will need to build more muscle. My off season is crucial as I only have a month to make gains in my legs and shoulders. This will be my focus at the gym. I have cut my cardio down to only 1 day which is optional and have designed a 5 day split at the gym to target different muscle groups.

Here is a peak at my meal plan for the next month. I have more carbs in my plan right now because I am training heavier at the gym and need the energy.

Meal 1: Eggwhite Waffles (1/3 c. oats, 1/2 c. egg whites) and 1 c. of fruit or 1/2 c.grapefruit or 1/2 banana
Meal 2: Apple and 10 almonds (or 2 tbsp of no sodium almond butter) or Protein shake and a cup of fruit
Meal 3: Turkey or chicken Sandwich (4-5 slices of natural turkey breast or 4 oz. grilled chicken) with avocado, lettuce and mustard
Meal 4: Protein shake or 1.5 c. veggies with 2 tbsp hummous
Meal 5: 4 ounce protein (lean ground turk, chicken, white fish), 3/4 c. rice or 4 ounce yam

This plan is what works for me but everyone is different and you can play around with more options if you can have dairy. Just remember to eat clean and as raw as possible. The more processed foods the more extras it will contain. Some simple tips to remember are:
  • Eat when you are hungry not because you`re bored
  • Think about what`s in what you`re eating
  • Portions, portions, portions (think about how big your stomach is - it`s the size of your fist)
  • Always have half carbs, quarter fat and quarter protein
  • Eat in moderation (don`t have dessert everyday, but treat yourself once a week as a reward)
Let`s be realistic. It`s Christmas time and there will be lots of parties and running around so make sure you have lots of healthy foods on hand that are prepped and in the fridge. This will help keep those pants loose this holiday season. Stay tuned for more tips to stay healthy over Christmas so your New Years Resolution can be something besides hitting the gym.

New week, fresh start.

Nic out
xoxox



Saturday, November 24, 2012

Bob Harper Meal Plan

137790_Get 25% Off Your New Favorite Under Armour Hoody + Free Shipping. All Orders. No Minimum.

Last night I was researching meal plans and I came across this amazing site that showcased a bunch of different, dare I say it, "diets."I was working on my off season meal plan and trying to incorporate a basic meal plan for building muscle and what I've been learning in all the different books I've been reading. 

After looking through a lot of different plans, I choose the Bob Harper Meal Plan because it was the easiest shell to work from. My biggest challenge in finding a plan that I could work with is that I am allergic to dairy. Not lactose but the dairy protein. This meant I had to keep an open mind when reviewing plans I wanted to try because I would have to replace any type of meals that contained cottage cheese, yogurt and milk.

This was the original plan from B-Harper.

Breakfast
1 packet instant oats
3 egg whites and 1 whole egg
1 cup fresh blueberries
1.5 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
Morning Snack
Lowfat yogurt - to be replaced
Lunch
Turkey club sandwich on whole-wheat bread
Nonfat mayo or mustard
1 apple
Afternoon Snack
2 Wasa crackers
1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 triangles Laughing Cow Cheese - to be replaced
Dinner
Grilled red snapper
2 cups mixed vegetables
1 cup brown rice

The important thing I have to remember is that I am trying to put on some muscle and cut cardio in my off season. This means more carbs throughout the day. My goal is to stay within 8 to 10 pounds of my competition weight for January when I start prepping for the Inside Fitness Model Search. Yesterday was legs and shoulders and I am having a love-hate relationship with stairs. I really pushed myself. 

Anyways, I've been told by my newly appointed "manager" Brett that my posts were too long so I am going to head to the grocery store and grab everything I need for my revised B-Harper diet which I will post on next week along with ideas I pulled from the Abs Diet book I'm reading and the 12 power foods. 

Happy Saturday! 

Nic out
xoxox

Friday, November 23, 2012

FitSugar - my new favorite site!

It's official, my site domain is up and running! If you found me through myjourneytooxygen, there is a new name in town. Check out nicolewilsonfitness.com! Very exciting or I like to say amazeballs. After spending 7, very frustrating, hours yesterday and a few today my problems were fixed by a very helpful man with a thick southern accent named Bob. High-5 Bob!

After spending some very trying times cruising my computer, my partner advised...then pulled me (literally) away from our Mac and banned me from using it for the rest of the night. He said all this stress has probably cost me 3 years of my life. Needless to say I feel a million times better today. I can't say the same for my chest and triceps, hello DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness).

On WWW (Wilson's Workout Wednesday) Brett and I hit the gym for a chest and tricep workout I put together. I was sore yesterday but today I can really feel it. I think that is the best part of training is being able to feel a targeted muscle group a day or two after. Today I will be doing legs and shoulders and tomorrow Brett and I will be training back and biceps. I am trying to break Brett in so I don't think he is ready just yet for my leg workout. He's off the hook today because he has to work but tomorrow is Strong Saturday which means today is Focus Fitness Friday...now I'm getting carried away.

My focus in the off season is putting on muscle. This means that my training will focus on lower reps, more sets, heavier weights and slower movements. In addition to my weight workouts, I will be incorporating plyo's and one week where my workouts are high reps and low weights to mix things up. I will be doing little or no cardio except for active cardio.  Once I start my prep I will crank up the cardio. My goal right now is to stay lean through eating clean but I need to build up muscle so cardio isn't a huge priority.

Once my computer problems were solved, I got really engaged with one of my new books about fat and how it works in the body and how much you body needs for training. It's very interesting. I decided to take a Pinterest break and check out some new DIY ideas when I came across a workout from a site called FitSugar. It is an amazing site that has everything from workout videos that you can do from home to meal ideas to celebrity trainers! It gave me a lot of great ideas on what I'd like to do on my site as it grows and develops.

As far as the job hunt goes, its going and I hope to have a few more things lined up for next week but in the interim I plan on staying in Victoria. Brett and I will be moving in the middle of December and will be busy with exams and projects for the next few weeks so I am going to start packing our apartment and getting ready for that. I've been putting out a lot of feelers and using contacts I have to help me look. There is no point in going back and forth until I have a solid plan in place and at least while I'm in Victoria I can practice my cooking.

On Tuesday when we went grocery shopping I bought a spaghetti squash bragging that I could make a delicious spaghetti dinner sans the pasta. Brett looked at me with little enthusiasm but I promised him it would be good. Wednesday night when we got home from our workout, I started to prep the squash.  I baked mine in the oven for 45 minutes and while it was baking made spaghetti sauce with lean ground turkey breast and an organic tomato sauce. If you look at the ingredients on regular pasta sauce versus organic you will notice that you can actually pronounce all the ingredients in the organic sauce. This is one thing I have really noticed in ready labels are all the preservatives in food to help it last longer. Obviously buying organic all the time would be really expensive so it will have to be done in moderation of course.

When I called him for dinner and I showed him how to scrap the spaghetti sauce, served him up some sauce and awaited to verdict. He was impressed and said he would eat it again. Operation Spaghetti Squash, success! This meal was also a success for two other reasons. Cost and calories. This dinner made enough for both of us to have left overs the next day. This meal cost me less than $20 for four meals or $5.00 per serving. Total calories for this meal were around 300 per serving.

Pick up some spaghetti squash tonight and check out FitSugar.com. Happy Friday everyone and Happy Thanksgiving to all my America readers. I hope you all love the new site.

Nic Out!
xoxo


Thursday, November 22, 2012

Warning - My site is changing! Follow me this way...

Hello fitness followers!

First of all I'd like to thank everyone for follow my journey over the last 2 years and second I'd like to announce that I am changing my blog over into a website! Big girl step :)

I don't want to loose any of my readers during this transition. If you have my current URL saved in your browser, this will be changing... name to be announced (I haven't thought of it yet :S). If you have any awesome suggestions on what I should call myself, message me! I need all the help I can get. Brett and I spent the day brainstorming yesterday and came up with a few good ones. I still think I should call it Nicole Wilson Fitness but that makes for a super long URL. Maybe nwfitness.com?

This is tough! The name is permanent and I want it to embody what I am talking about.

Stay posted but note it will be changing in the next few days.

Thank you to everyone for all your support and I hope you follow me as I refocus my journey with fitness.

Nic out
xoxo

Finding a new routine.

It's almost been three weeks since Sandra and I feel lost and out of routine. I've been back and forth between Vancouver and Victoria, looking for a job and trying to find my place. Routines are apart of everyone's life every day but we don't realize how comfortable we are in those daily motions until we get thrown out of them.

Two months ago I was working full time and training twice a day, now I am in my off season and still looking for the right opportunity. Needless to say my days are pretty free and after getting back to Victoria realized I'm lost and needing routine. Most people would be enjoying this time off and after two months, I decided to give in. Brett suggested we go to the library and take some books out. I think he can see I'm slowing going nuts by not working. That is why we are such a great pair. He balances my Type A-ness out. 

On Tuesday we had a date day. We went for breakfast, hit the library and a movie. I haven't been to a library in forever but it's amazing. There are a lot of great books and I even have a few on hold! After checking out a few books, eight to be exact, I was excited to get home and crack the spine on my rented books. I didn't know where to begin.

One book I took out was all about blogging and how to get more reach and I will be changing my blog over to a website soon so bare with me in this transition. I want to make my site as user friendly as possible and the only way to do that is to ask you, the reader, what you'd like to see. I will be putting a survey together to collect data about who and where my readers are. This is all very exciting to me.

Another great book I took out was about health meals on a budget. It was hard to sit and focus on one book at a time because I'd then start to read another book. They all have so many interesting things to say! Yesterday I spent the day reading and it felt good to be doing something in addition to looking at the same job postings for hours. I have decided to dedicate a certain amount of time each day to training, job hunting and learning. This will help me create a routine.

Now that I am in my off season, my goal is develop more muscle and eat well. I have a few books right now that talk about fat and how it works in your body and how it uses fat before and after workouts. Very interesting. Two books I am very interested in getting are currently on hold at the library are about Food and Physiology. Learning about how the body works and thinks about food will be helpful during my off season. The one obsession I kicked this last competition is my inability to buy peanut butter. I can proudly say that I can control my almond butter and make it last longer than 3 days...I think I've had my jar in the fridge for a month now and it's only half empty! Pat on the back...

The other routine that is a bit of an adjustment is not going to the gym twice a day. Since I am trying to build muscle I don't need to be doing an hour of cardio everyday. I need to have 4 or 5 heavy strength training days and a few sessions of active cardio such as walking. Food will also be important when putting on muscle. If your body doesn't have enough fat which is used as an energy source it will start burning muscle as energy which I don't want. I am going to continue eating as raw as possible. Raw is eating food in the most original or unprocessed form.

Unprocessed foods are foods such as rice, chicken, vegetables and processed foods are ones that have been altered. These foods included bread, sandwich meats and anything else that doesn't look real. This doesn't mean you can only eat a chicken breast or rice on its own. The best part is using vegetable such as peppers, onions, broccoli and making a stir fry! Way better than Lean Cusine because it's lower in sodium and sugar. Have you ever looked to see how much sugar is frozed foods! Cray cray.

I feel like I am going to start ranting so I will leave you will three things to think about when you go to reach for something in your fridge.

1. If you are eating something like a muffin or frozen meal and separated all the ingredients, would you eat them each ingredient on their own. Example: if you broke down all the ingredients in a muffin or doughnut and there was 2 tbsp's of butter would you eat that on its own? Hello heart attack and diabetes.

2. If something is in the fridge and has been their for more than a few weeks and hasn't gone bad, why would you eat it??? If food doesn't spoils (which is should if its real) then it is probably filled with chemicals and presevatives to make it last. This brings me to number three...

3. Pull any condiment from your fridge and look at the ingredients. Do you know and can you pernounce what each ingredient is? Why do some ingredients sound like stuff that sound be in fertilizer or come from a lumber yard.

I feel like I've got my wheels spinning here and need to get focus on how I can help share my knowledge with you as I enjoy a very short off season before my next show in March, the Inside Fitness Model Search! I have a lot of work to do and need to build some serious muscle for my next competition in May in Kelowna. I am determined to get my BC qualification back! I hope you continue to follow my journey. Fitness is a lifelong journey...

Have a great day!

Nic out!

xoxox

Monday, November 19, 2012

My first guest blog with Tosca Reno!

It's been a week since my competition and I feel pretty good. I've been eating clean and unprocessed foods to give my body time to adjust to eating certain things again. One thing I have noticed is how hard it is when you don't have protein prepped in the fridge to take the time to stop and make it. I've resorted to shakes which have a lot of extras and my body is feeling it. Eating clean feels so good and has so many benefits. You feel great when you look in the mirror, your skin is less likely to break out, you sleep better, the list goes on.

Thinking about how hard it is to find healthy foods, I've decided that to maintain my off season weight, I am going to continue carrying a cooler. Yes, that's right. My new accessory is going to be a sexy cooler. I will prep food (maybe not boiled chicken) in advance and make sure I am always ready for the day so that I can maintain a weight within 8 to 10 pounds of my competition weight. 

With Christmas right around the corner and commuting back and forth between Vancouver and Victoria will help me stay on track and not stress out about missing a meal or eating something I shouldn't. Just because my journey to Sandra is over for another year doesn't mean I should stop blogging now! So follow my journey through the off season where I can post helpful tips on what's in my cooler and eating on the run.

I spent the weekend in Vancouver and had an amazing time! The hard part is where to start. I'll start with Thursday. I took the ferry over to Vancouver and my first stop was Whole Foods. I had some time to kill before I met the property manager to get the keys to our new place. After getting the keys I went straight to the gym where I learned that I am unable to train clients there due to the company managing the gym. The guy recommend that I visit his friend Mike across the street from my house where I could bring clients for a very reasonable fee and it's just across the street.

After sorting out my training situation I headed back up to my apartment and blew up my air mattress and got my place all unpacked and then went to do some grocery shopping. Once I was all settled I went down to get my first workout in at my new gym...4 floors down! Amazing. With Thursday under my belt, I decided to pack it in.

Friday morning I woke up on the floor of my room. Brett was right. The air mattress was a dud. I rolled out of bed and went down stairs to Whole foods, basically my kitchen...and grabbed a newspaper, coffee and steel cut oats with nuts and fresh fruit...YUM! I had an interview at 9:30 and then a photo shoot with Larry Niven at 11am. The day was on!

The interview went well but they aren't hiring for a few weeks...patience young grasshopper, patience. Time was ticking and I had originally cancelled the photo shoot because the guy at the gym wouldn't let us shoot in it because he required permission from the building manager who I couldn't get a hold of. Then I got the best news from Briana at the Oval who said I could shoot in the High Performance room at the Richmond Olympic Oval. BEST NEWS!!! I called Larry and rescheduled the shoot for 12:30. As soon as my interview was done, I jumped on the sky train and headed out to the oval.

The shoot was amazing and Larry got some really great shots. This is definitely one of my favorites. Hopefully they will work for my portfolio and I will be able to use them in a magazine....Oxygen worthy perhaps?...After a great afternoon of working I booked it back downtown to the Vancouver Convention Centre where I had to go to pick up my registration package for the Canfit Pro show I was attending on Saturday. As soon as I got my package I called my sister to see if I could crash at her place due to my deflated air mattress.

Robyn and I hung out and watched a movie and crashed pretty early. I got up at 6 am and started to get ready to head downtown for my first class at 8am. Bring Your Own Band. It was a great day to start off the day and I learned so many creative ways to use a band I never would have thought of. Then I had a break before my first of three lectures. The day was amazing and I am definitely going to attend all three days next year and pack it full of classes. All the instructors were awesome.

The best part of the day was an email saying my link was live. My first guest post on Tosca Reno's blog! Check it out...http://toscareno.blogspot.ca/2012/11/stress-free-holidays.html#.UKr-6rTGIQI
If you like it, leave a comment! Please and thank you :)

After the conference I went back and Robyn and I hung and watched another movie....I decided to stay Sunday so we could go scream our lungs out at the Lions. The Lions lost but it was great to spend some time with Robyn in her new apartment. After the game we got to go down and hang with the players and then I made the decision to catch the 7 ferry. It was super windy and the ferries were cancelled! Boo hiss...

Anyways, after a long day of traveling today I am home and can't wait to get back to the gym tomorrow and start my new off season program! I going to get strong and build more muscle. Yippie.

Sorry for the long post....lots going on and I didn't have access to my computer! I still have more to say....That's good for now.

Have a great night,
xoxo

Nic out!


Monday, November 12, 2012

Mermaid Barbie - check

Its hard putting your journey out there especially when you don't achieve your goal and have no where to hide. This year I came in 8th out of 15 girls and being back to reality has been hard. I appreciate everyone's support but I find myself lost for words when people ask how I did. I didn't win but that shouldn't be clouding my experience and I shouldn't be so hard on myself. I felt amazing and I am really proud of how I looked and I've started responding "I had a great weekend." And it's true. I had an amazing weekend.

The outcome wasn't what I had hoped and not placing means I lost my exemption to BC's in June and I will have to compete in another competition and try to place in order to go. For now, I have a lot of other things I need to focus on and I am going to enjoy how I'm feeling and be proud of what I accomplished. Just because I didn't win, doesn't mean I didn't accomplish anything. That is the hardest thing for me to understand. I accomplished a lot in the last 12 weeks and just because I didn't come home with a trophy doesn't mean I should shrug off how hard I've worked.

The last 12 weeks were an amazing journey with lots of ups and downs but I stuck with it and learned a lot about myself as a person. I also learned that I didn't let anyone down by losing and that I have amazing family and friends that still love and support me and are also proud of my accomplishments. After looking at pictures of myself on stage, I have to say that I am very proud of myself with or without a trophy.

I had a great day on Saturday and enjoyed sharing it with my dear friend Lisa. We gabbed through out the day and after 12 weeks of pushing each other, we had done it. We were ready to rock the stage at another show.

Saturday started very early with hair and makeup...5 am kind of early.  A big thank you to Jordan Ki the most amazing makeup artist ever! My goal was to look like a mermaid Barbie and I definitely accomplished that! The day was long and Lisa and I went and relaxed at my parents place in between the morning show and evening show. Both of us almost passed out we were so pooped!

The most disappointing thing about the show is that bikini is that last category and because I'm in one of the taller classes, most people leave before we even go on. I trained just as hard as a lot of the other athletes there and for people to leave and start tearing down before I even went on made my heart a little heavy. Once I was on stage, I could hear Brett yelling in the audience - Wooow Woowww - at me. My parents and sister also came and supported me which meant a lot. They have supported me 100% though out this experience and I couldn't ask for more.

After the show I went and found my family waiting in the lobby and we all decided to head back to White Rock where I enjoyed a delicious J.D BBQ burger and birthday cupcakes! I tried not to go crazy and I haven't really been craving anything. Not even peanut butter. On Sunday we all went out for a my belated birthday brunch and in the afternoon Brett and I drove out to Langley to have dinner with his family. His mom had made all this amazing food and encouraged me to keep eating....I was full all day. Brett and I arrived back in Victoria late last night and the first thing I did this morning was hit the grocery store.

Our trip included a buggy full of fruits, vegetables and protein so that we can stay on a clean diet and not to clog my system with processed foods. After eating chicken, tilapia, broccoli, yams and egg whites for the last 12 weeks my body needs to be re-acquainted with food again. I had cut up a bunch of fruit and made some delicious meals today and enjoyed each one. From now on I am going to take my time and enjoy my food. Everything just tasted better than boiled chicken....at least until my next prep.

Here's to staying leaning and learning lessons! Thank you for all your kind messages. This weeks focus is all about getting a job! Wish me luck tomorrow. My dream job could become a reality sooner than I think!!!

Yours in health and fitness,

Nic out!
xoxo

Thursday, November 8, 2012

My last post....until Monday!

Last night I took the ferry over to Vancouver and arrived at my parents new house a little after 11:30pm. After a very long day, my dad toted me around their new house and it is amazeballs!  Wednesday was a busy day of packing and wrapping up last minute details. With my suitcases and cooler in toe I was set. It took me almost the whole day to pack. Even with a list, I found myself procrastinating. My journey was coming to an end and it was starting to sink in. In less than 3 days I would be on stage.

As these final few days unfold, it's starting to hit me. Now that its starting to sink in, I have to remember to soak it all in. This is it! I have spent the last 12 weeks training twice a day and sticking to my meal plan. This is it. All my hard work and energy into one day. A moment. I've done all the work and now I get to enjoy it.

Today was a great day. Lots of birthday love and my job interview went swimmingly! I got up and went out to Langley to see Colleen, The Suit Lady and finally got to see my suit. It is beautiful. It's exactly what I envisioned. Mermaid Barbie! After picking up my suit, I drove over to Port Moody to meet with Leigh to do one final pose off in my new suit. It was all coming together. The time was ticking and I had to make my way back to White Rock and I only had 30 minutes to get ready for my interview...

After my interview I was suppose to do one last workout. Forty five minutes of cardio, instead my dad took me to this set of stairs by their new house called 1001 steps in Cresent Beach. I decided to run it a few times and man, what a workout! I love running stairs and every time I got to the bottom I would do 20 elevated sumo squats each side on the stairs. I figure I burned enough calories and walked back to the house with my dad. Of course I'm rocking my birthday sweater. Brett bought it in Phoenix and I promised I'd wear it...

I threw on the curling iron, not the smartest thing to do but I was interviewing with a hair product line, and started curling. Good thing I did my makeup in the morning or I would have been screwed...After my hair was done, I got dressed and booked it out the door. My dad had written out directions on how to get to my interview and I was en route. I had previous had a phone interview on Monday and it went well so he wanted to meet me in person. The interview went well and the guy I met with is awesome and he'd be my manager! I could definitely learn a lot from him. Next steps, I'll find out tomorrow but he said that I was one of the final three candidates and would have another interview on Tuesday. A trophy and a job in one week would be a pretty good week.  Fingers crossed.

Since today was such a great day, I think I am going to end my postings until after the competition. Thank you for all your support and all your wonderful messages. I hope I can make you all proud and bring home a trophy! First place here I come!!! First comes Sandra, second comes BC's, next comes Nationals and then a Pro Card! Lots of exciting things happening in the next week alone.

Eat. Tan. Sleep. Win!

Nic Out

xoxox

Monday, November 5, 2012

Believe.


5...more...sleeps. It is written everywhere as a reminder that I am in the final stretch. I thought it would have hit me by now but it still feels surreal. I think it's because I know there is still a lot to do and a lot of waiting before I go on stage. The excitement is there but I think I'm a little hesitant for a few reasons. One being I don't want it to be over and the other because I'm scared of failing.

Brett and I were on the ferry yesterday and as we were waiting in line, it hit me that there is a chance I might not place. Of course this has been in my head but then the image of me placing pushes that other image out. It was starting to stress me out and I asked him what he thought. Brett said I needed to keep everything in perspective. Which is pretty good advice. I've mentally prepared myself for being top three and I can visualize it but then the thought of losing creeps in. I feel confident that I've put in the time and done everything possible to win but that decision is out of my hands.

When there is a feeling of doubt about something, in this case losing, you have to accept those feelings and move forward and that is exactly what I plan on doing. The mind is extremely powerful and I need to keep visualizing myself winning and deal with the outcome later. Right now is all about positive preparation. Yes there is a chance I might not place but it's never good to visualize those thoughts. Keep focusing on the goal. It worked last year. I was convinced I was going to place that I would tell everyone that I would bring my trophy in on Monday...

I have to remain on course and remain confident and there isn't a lot of time left. Now is the nitty gritty prep work. Every prep is a learning experience but I want this so bad and placing means I keep my exemption to BC's which leads to Nationals. Deep breath. Stay focused. Be graceful and embody Heidi Klum. I will rock this and enjoy each moment as this journey comes to an end. Its been fab and after this journey another will begin.

I have so much to be thankful for and so many exciting things waiting for me. Brett and I found an amazing apartment with a gym (so I will be training starting December 1st and group camps January 1st. Client list limited...lol so message me with your email address) and even though I am still looking for a job, I am positive that something great is around the corner.

This is it. I've got my luggage out and ready to be packed, my food is prepped for the next few days but still it feels like a dream. Maybe because I am taking in each day for what it is and not just waiting to get to the finish line. Sometimes in life we are always looking forward to the next best thing. The next trip or the following Friday. We are practically wishing our days away and life it too short for that. Training for Sandra Wickham is a lot of hard work but anything in life thats worth while is hard work.

When Brett and I stopped at Cactus Club for lunch yesterday, I realized when we were ordering that the next time we go out to eat that I could order what ever I wanted! Our waitress was awesome though and she had no problems with me ordering a plain chicken breast with steamed plain asparagus. Love Cactus Club. I don't really have any cravings right now and plan on eating very clean and healthy post competition because I want to stay under 130. I just feel better and more confident and can't believe I let my body get to where it was when I started. A hot mess. Even though life was crazy and busy, it isn't an excuse to not take the time to eat well and workout.

On Thursday I am picking up my suit and I am pretty excited. I haven't seen it finished and from what we have discussed, I am confident it will be awesome. Colleen the Suits Lady has worked her magic once again. My food this week is also pretty good. Lots of water until Wednesday and then I start cutting which is okay by me because I feel like I should have a cot in the bathroom...I am pretty excited that I get caramel rice cakes on Friday with a tbsp of natural almond butter! Wooooo hooooo. Someone will need to ration my PB for me. If you follow me you know its my kryponite. Love PB!

Anyways, today I have a job interview and an appointment at la spa. Yes La Spa sounds fab but trust me...it's not going to be fun. Girls you'll know what I mean.

Have a great Monday. Remember to email me if you are interested in some more information about training (miss.nicole.wilson@gmail.com). I will be putting some information together over the next few weeks and will be in Vancouver next weekend for the Canfit Pro show to learn some great new skills!

Eat. Train. Sleep. REPEAT!

nic out!!
xoxo

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Single.....

Digits people! Did you really think I'd let a catch like Brett go. Crazy people. Only 9 sleeps now and it still hasn't hit me. What's going on?! Yesterday I did an early morning sesh at the gym (6am) and then got home and texted my girlfriend to see if she wanted to do a power walk before 9. We motored around Cedar Hill and then I had a jam packed day. Yes, unemployment can be busy!

I took a cab downtown and go my hair done and I LOVE it! Getting my hair done is so fun (that's the before.) Hair Salons are so much fun. You get to chat with the girls and get the dl on all the gossip. It was fun times. After an afternoon of errands, Brett and I hit the gym. He did some cardio and then patiently did some homework and waited for me to finish a workout and some cardio. My weights were good but I struggled through twenty tiny minutes of cardio. As we arrived home from the gym I remembered why I was so wiped and its because of that extra cardio I did with Jess huffin' it around Cedar Hill.

I didn't manage to get my hands on ANY candy...so if anyone has any leftover Kit-Kat's they'd like to donate to me you can mail them to me at 1195 Ki...jokes! But seriously keep a few for me in your freezer. Even though I didn't get any candy, I went and visited my lovely neighbours in Victoria who were handing out Wagon Wheels. Classic Needless to say I have them stash for post comp.

I wish something would wake me up or shake me out of this surreal dream I feel trapped in. Everyday is passing by and the competition is getting closer and closer but yet I feel so far away. There are only 9 sleeps left and I've been training for 75! Even numbers don't scare me. I know how many cardio sessions and weight days I have left. My fridge is stocked with prepped chicken, tilapia and steamed yams and broccoli to make life super easy with no excuses. My water intake is good and I feel super comfortable where I am.

Yesterday morning I decided to weigh myself and I was down another 2 lbs. After texting my coach Leigh she told me to try and maintain my weight as she doesn't want me getting any smaller. I have worked so hard to keep my legs and shoulders full that I would hate to loose that now. My meals are tight and if I feel hungry I have a cup a tea or coffee which seems to help tide me over until my next meal. Right now I am at 6 - 7 meals a day depending on how many hours I'm up. Yesterday I needed 7 because I was at the gym at 6.

Nothing else has really changed. I have been practicing my posing and have one last posing with Leigh next Thursday after my suit fitting with Colleen. I am taking the first ferry Thursday morning (yuck!) and then heading straight to Langley to get my new set of wheels (88' Volvo - from Brett's parents) and doing suit and then posing. Tanning and all that good stuff is happening Friday.

I wonder what I'll bake this year. Last year I did a crazy cupcake cake. Add your comments on Facebook on what you think I should make the Friday before. I was thinking chocolate cookies with peanut butter Reese chips. Can't wait to see what you all suggest. I'll post a picture of my mad baking skills along with my floating head (my face doesn't get tanned, just an FYI).

Have a great day everyone. It's almost FRIDAY!

Eat. Train. Sleep. Repeat.

Nic out
xo