CRAIG PRODUCTIONS LLC

I don't know where it came from, really. I started my day at 3:15am today. I trekked off to Gold's Gym in the cold fog to bust out 45 minutes on the stepmill...to DOMINATE the stepmill! Came home, showered, ate, packed my foods for the day, packed the kids' foods for the day, greeted the sitter at 6am and off I went to work. I had tons of energy all morning, got through my first 3 clients with ease, even squeezed in my back workout but by about 11am I hit a wall. I knew I was going to need a nap this afternoon but wasn't going to get one. Stopped in at Seattle Sun Tan after work for a quick tan (gotta get our tans on people!!!), then the grocery store, home to eat, off to pick up my twins from preschool and take them to gymnastics. After gymnastics we made a quick stop at home to change into their pj's, pick up brother and off to Gold's for another round of stepmill domination! (Side note: I gotta be honest, as I was on the stepmill this evening I thought of all those people: friends, family, clients, who tell me they don't have time...seriously, please, save it for someone who will buy that garbage. If you want it bad enough, you will make the time. I'd certainly love to be sleeping at 3:15am, but I also want to bring my best physique to the stage this spring - more than I want to sleep.)

I was rather dreading Round 2 on the stepmill. I was dragging...big time! I got on the stepmill and set it to one of the programs for 30 minutes at level 15. It felt easy and I thought "this hour's gonna fly". A little phrase that I would think of when I was prepping for Emerald Cup last year while on cardio was..."when you got it, give it!" That phrase quickly came to mind tonight, so I hit the "up" button and proceeded to level 16. Still felt easy..."when you got it, give it!"...up to level 17. Finished my first half hour with ease, dripping with sweat and loving it. Cranked out my second half hour at level 16. I'm still not sure where this burst of energy came from, but...When you got it, give it!

As you know, if this is not your first show, there are many days where the energy is in the toilet and it's REALLY, REALLY hard getting through your training and your cardio. So, I like this little phrase because on those rare occasions when it feels good and it feels easy and it feels like I could go forever...I max it out! I give it everything I've got. I don't take it easy, I don't sit back and enjoy, I CRANK IT UP and I make myself work. You have to push yourself. If it feels easy, it's probably not giving you maximal benefits. If you're going to spend the time, make it count. If you don't push yourself to the limit, the only person that you're short-changing is YOURSELF!!!

I will never allow myself to stand on stage and think..."If only I'd pushed myself a little harder maybe I would have done better." When I stand on stage I always know that I pushed myself to my limit every time. I know that I worked as hard as I possibly could and that I challenged myself...I challenged myself on the days when I had no energy and I challenged myself even more on the days my energy was through the roof.

We are not in competition with each other, we're in competition with ourselves. Push yourself. Challenge yourself. Most of all: BE PREPARED!!!

We're coming up on 9 weeks out. If your nutrition and training isn't dialed in now, what do you need to get it done?

"The will to win is worthless if you do not have the will to prepare."

— Thane Yost

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