Big Things Coming...I am incredibly excited to start the next chapter in my life.

13 Days Until My Last Day Of Class

13 Days Until I Can Start Studying To Get Certified As A Personal Trainer (if not earlier)

19 Days Until I Graduate From College

66 Days Until My First National Show in Vegas

Woot Woot! So to say the least...I have some exciting things coming up! I cannot explain the joy that I feel about my life right now. It is kind of funny actually because there are a few things in my life that are not going well at all, BUT I am choosing to focus on the the GREAT things coming up and I am choosing to focus on all the amazing things/people the Lord has blessed me with over the past couple years! That's really what it is all about people...Perspective and attitude. You ultimately decide how to live your life...You decide upon your outlook and your attitude and how you react to the things thrown at you. It's your choice...Turn around and avoid the challenges in your life or soldier up and be strong...Meet those challenges straight on. Sometimes you have to roll with the punches and do so with a big thankful heart and a big happy smile. Cliche...I know. But it is SOOO true! So that's where I'm at.

I actually just got home from the gym and had a fabulous workout...I mean KILLER workout. I started off somewhat slow and then that fire in me started burnin' something fierce and I finished weights very strong and then my cardio was even more fierce. It made me think of Julie's blog AWHILE back about giving it your all when you have that burst of energy...Heck if you're feeling energized and strong, THAT is your time to truly push your limits. So that's what I did. My 25 min on the stepmill and 10 min on the treadmill left me absolutely dripping in sweat and it felt so refreshing. Nothing feels better than building up my body...Making it stronger, healthier, faster and just BETTER!

So I'm pumped and can't wait for my cardio tomorrow AM! Then I'll be heading to work...then to LA Fitness for a Chest/Bi/Tri workout + cardio. Busy day, but as always it will be absolutely FULL of opportunity and I better be ready to rock and roll!

Bless you all and please please please spend some time tonight planning how you can get one step closer to your goals/dreams tomorrow. Life is so short and you've got ONE life to live...I hope you are all pushing forward through your life achieving all that you are meant to achieve. We each have something truly special to offer to the people around us and it would be soooo silly for you to not grasp that tight and make the most of it! DREAM BIG! ;)

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE!

Diane

Tags: Determination | Goals | training | energy | posingfocused | determined

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So we are once again ONE STEP CLOSER to the stage! It's absolutely insane how fast time flies. I seriously feel like it was JUST Christmas and now it's pretty much March and the days until we step on stage are getting SOOO close! I'm in the midst of all my planning for the show... I just booked my hair appointments, scheduled tanning appointments with John and Roxana and scheduled make up with Jen Turnbull! Plus I had Holly alter my hot pink suit, so now it looks EVEN better for the show! Overall, I'm very excited and I love planning all of the little minor details. Make sure that you are carefully planning all of these details and try to get as much planned and done NOW as possible. The last couple weeks of training and prep will be crazy and the last thing that you'll need to worry about is how you're doing your hair etc. SO get planning...deliberate and careful planning brings results!

My lifting has been great for the most part. I had a slightly 'weaker' day on Wednesday...It was one of those workouts where I was just not feeling the weights...It was frustrating...especially since I KNOW that I can do it, but my mind tends to get tricky on me sometimes. It's easy to let your mind tell you what you can and cannot do and it's important that you realize that you can physically do A LOT more than you think you can! Physically lifting weights is the easy part, but mentally getting into the game is tough. That's why I think it is so crucial to "train the mind" just as much as you train your body! I know I've mentioned this before, but MIND GYM By Gary Mack is an AWESOME book! I read it while I was prepping for the Ironman and I absolutely love that book! I refer back to it constantly and it has helped me realize the importance of mental training.

One of my friends has a quote listed on his page...

**Everything you do, every single decision you make, either takes you one step closer or one step further from your goal. You either grow or you regress; nothing stands still**

It's so important to REALLY understand this when prepping for a show. Bodybuilding is a 24hr/7days/week kind of sport. You have to literally make decisions through out your entire day that will affect your progress as a competitor. Everything from sleep, water, supplements, food, training, cardio...EVERYTHING can greatly influence your progress and I think it is crucial to approach every single minute of your day with your goal in mind. Each choice you make is going to either move you ahead or move you backwards...Which way do you want to go?

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE!

Diane

Tags: Goals | Mindset | Mind Gym | Gary Mack | onstageimage@yahoo.com | vision | Visualization

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Wow. Let's just say that it is 9:00am and I JUST woke up. To me, this is absolutely insane because I consider sleeping in to be 7:00! I've gotten up at 4:00 every morning this week in order to squeeze in my cardio before I head off to work and I have to say that it feels pretty darn good to sleep in so late for once! I decided to not set my alarm because I have no work this morning and to just let my body wake up when it feels ready! So overall, I'm thankful that I did this because it allowed my body to rest up after all the hard work this week!

SO training! I'm officially COMPLETELY in my zone and my workouts have been AMAZING!!! I trained legs on Monday and to be honest, my hammies are still sore!! Then I met with Misty (she's doing Vancouver) and Pete on Weds to train chest and triceps! It was a great workout and it felt so great to workout with the both of them. Since my school schedule is a little crazy and with Pete's busy wrestling schedule (He's the coach at Bellevue Christian), it has been tough to coordinate our workouts together! So, it was great to work out with Misty and see Pete as well! They always push me to my limits and I think it is so great to have those kind of people in your life...

Which reminds me...When preparing for a show, who are the people that you chose to surround yourself with? Heck, not only JUST when prepping for a show, but through out your entire life? I strongly believe that you are who you associate with and I've witnessed this in my own life! I remember hanging out with the "wrong" crowd when I was younger and my parents would constantly say, "You are who you associate with!! Do you really want to be like them?" I HATED it when they would say that, but now I am so thankful because it truly taught me that I need to surround myself with strong, confident, optimistic people who are living their lives with shear determination to reach their own goals and dreams!! You see, it is their drive, focus and determination that will be contagious to those around them...Same goes for you..Keep shining because it is going to affect those around you more than you could possibly imagine. So anyways, I was just thinking how incredibly blessed I am to have made the decision to only surround myself with people who completely lift me up, or have the potential to lift me up! Don't get me wrong, if someone is having a tough time and are temporarily bringing me down, I'm not going to 'kick' them out of my life because I will want to help them! BUT! I will not tolerate anyone in my life who is going to waste timing bringing me and my dreams down with them everytime I'm around them! There's just no time for this - I've got BIG things to do and I'm not letting anyone step in the way!

So off to I got to the gym. I'm going to kick major butt during my cardio session and then head home to relax and prep my food before I head to Redmond to meet Pete for shoulders!! Oh yeahhh!! My shoulders are definitely making big improvements over this last year and I'm so thankful that both myself and Pete have been working hard to build that beautiful shoulder cap! Bring it on!!

"You don't concentrate on risks. You concentrate on results. No risk is too great to prevent the necessary job from getting done."

Tags: Determination | Goals | Mindset | training partner | Shoulders

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I hooked up with Shannon Gill and her team today for posing practice. I met Shannon for the first time last November when doing my photo shoot with Jim Wallingford (www.jimwallingfordphotography.com) after the Northwest Championships show. I really liked Shannon's personality. She's kind of edgy and definitely tells it like it is and I LOVE people like that. When I learned that she offers weekly posing practice in Redmond I was really excited and decided that I'd like to work with her for the upcoming season.

Today was my first time practicing with her. I left my suit at home because A) I'm getting a new one and so I figured that was a good excuse and B) the real reason being that I didn't want to wear a suit being "fat". Sidebar: I love how we as competitors are "fat" at what is, by society's standards, athletic level leanness. We're kind of warped that way. At any rate, Shannon had a bag full of suits for me to choose from and made it clear that I was putting one of them on for practice. Dang! I was actually pretty pleased with how I presented in a random suit.

It was really exciting and motivating to have the suit on, the heels and be with other figure girls who are in full contest prep mode. It really made it REAL for me that the contest season is upon us and we are all GEARING UP! It's always inspirational to be around others who are passionate about the sport and Shannon's enthusiasm was very much contagious. I'm definitely going to need a few one-on-one's with Shannon and I'll be attending as many Sunday Practice classes as I can - given my schedule with my 4 kiddos! Also, the class is very affordable at only $35/class. If you're interested in attending, check out www.shannongill.com.

Alright, so it's Sunday which means meal planning, food-prep and scheduling out my training for the week. It's a busy week with the kids and their activities, so it looks like I'll be shuffling some things around to get my workouts in. I'll probably train at work a few times this week rather than the Gold's by my house just to make sure I get all my workouts in. I've also ramped up my tanning the last couple weeks and am trying to go every other day right now to get as dark of a base as I can. Tanning in the winter = really dry skin. Body butter, here I come!

I'm excited for a great week of training - hard, heavy and intense! Here's a great quote for the week:

"I KNOW THE PRICE OF SUCCESS: DEDICATION, HARD WORK, AND AN UNREMITTING DEVOTION TO THE THINGS YOU WANT TO SEE HAPPEN." ~ Frank Lloyd Wright

Julie

Fearless, with cape in hand.

Tags: Shannon Gill | Posing | Jim Wallingford | Determination | Goals | Figure | Bikini

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Alright Guys...First off, I have to admit that I did sneak in some treats on Christmas! My goal was to make it 100% clean through-out Christmas, but I didn't reach my goal! I tried some of my grandma's homemade Banana Bread and some cookies as well. Am I bummed out that I did not reach my goal for the holidays? Yes. BUT I'll continue to stay focused on what I can accomplish TODAY! The good news is that I trained hard through-out Christmas! I went to the gym Christmas Eve for a kick-butt cardio session and lifted heavy! Then I went to the gym with my mom on Christmas and did a killer cardio session.  This was not a typical cardio session - It involved hundreds of walking lunges and air squats...Overall I did PRETTY good over Christmas...I stuck to my planned meals and trained hard...Not 100% good, but pretty darn good considering all the tasty food that I was surrounding me :)

So that's that...Now I want to focus on my 2009 Wrap-Up and also go over my 2010 Goals...I worked my butt off this last year and I was blessed in so many more ways than I expected! I stayed focused on what I wanted to accomplish in 2009 and I did everything possible to give 100%...Plus I did it ALL for the glory of God and let me tell you...It is the most AMAZING feeling to put forth 100% of my effort to follow God's plan for my life! Of course I'm not perfect and I still have a lot of things to work on, but boy was it an amazing year!

In 2009...

-I was baptized on Easter and it was the most amazing experience. It was life-changing and I'm so thankful that I committed everything to the Lord

-I switched my focus for training...I was no longer training just to look good, but I began training to glorify the Lord and build the strongest and healthiest body possible - This new focus kept me strong through out the year.

-I was blessed with the amazing opportunity to blog on here! It has been so much fun to blog and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of Dave's blogs as well! THANK YOU ELAINE AND BRAD!

-I successfully started my senior year of college and managed to stay on the Dean's List while training and working full-time.

-I was able to experience and be a part of Snap Fitness' new team of competitors.  The team was created in 2009 and I feel so blessed to be part of the team and meet/train with such amazing girls! They truly inspire me each and every day!

-I won 1st place at the WA Ironman! This was such a blessing and such an amazing experience! It reminded me that all my hard work is paying off and also reminded me that I still have a lot to work to do in order to get to where I want to go!

-I signed on with Optimum Nutrition and American Bodybuilding! I have been a loyal fan of their products for the past couple years and I am SO excited to represent such a great company! Such an amazing blessing.

-I started working with John and Roxana Kreklo for my diet and I am so excited about my opportunity to work with them.  I've made great progress with their diet and I'm excited to see how I progress through 2010 with my new healthy eating plan!

-I've met SOOO many wonderful competitors! I cannot explain in words how much each and every person I meet inspires me...I am constantly learning something new from everyone around me and I feel so thankful to be surrounded by such uplifting and inspiring people!

-Barry and myself have brought each other closer to God and our relationship glorifies Him more than ever!

Ten Goals for 2010...

(1) To get my website up and running within the next couple months.

(2) To earn my NSCA CSCS certification.

(3) To build up my legs and glutes through persistent and focused training.

(4) To build more muscle...More specifically, I want to thicken up my back, bring out my shoulders and sculpt stronger and more defined abs

(5) To develop and build my organization - I want to do everything I can to promote weight-lifting to the women and teens in the Northwest

(6) To spend more time with my little brother - He is growing up sooo quickly and I need to soak up these moments with him!

(7) To better recognize God's will for my life and FOLLOW it! His way is the ONLY way!

(8) To promote ON/ABB to the best of my ability through informative helpful product demos and networking

(9) To help other girls compete - I want to help them get ready for their shows through constant support, help with posing and any other needs they might have.

(10) To win Overall for the first time and successfully proceed to Nationals to win my Pro Card

**I have MANY more goals, but figured I should stick to ten for now**

Well that's it for now. I urge you to write out everything that you have accomplished this year and also focus on what you want to accomplish in 2010.  This is a great time to review all of your blessings and also commit your plans to the Lord for the upcoming year!

Happy New Year and get ready to ROCK 2010! The opportunities are ENDLESS!

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE!

Diane

Tags: Determination | Goals | focused

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Alright so I found something that I HAVE to share with you guys!

I was going through all of my old emails!! I have a terrible (yet sometimes useful) habit of saving all my emails so I have MANY pages of old emails. Well, I figured it would be a good time to go through and clean out my INBOX. Well, I came across a powerful email that proves the importance of goal-setting and WRITING down and reviewing your goals frequently. The part of the email that I'm going to share with you was written September 4th, 2008, a month before my first show.

So here it is...

3.
My long term goal for a year from now is to compete in the Washington Ironman 2009 and place 1st...More specifically I want to really improve my abs and legs for next year's show.

This goal is important to me because I think I have finally found something that I can/want to do for myself that I really enjoy doing. I tend to get very caught up in doing things for other people ALL the time and I tend to neglect myself. I feel that if I keep training, I will be able to finally spend time doing what I want to do and be able to accomplish what I want to accomplish.  

I will achieve this goal by...
training hard over the next year
staying organized in order to balance school, work, my social life and training
surrounding myself with positive people at all times
sticking to clean eating through-out the year
staying focused on each task at hand
Overall, attitude is everything and I feel like if I have the right attitude and work hard over the next year, I can place 1st at the 2009 Ironman.

This amazes me because a year later I DID accomplish my goal -- I placed 1st at the 2009 WA Ironman!! My old trainer, Brent, made me write out my goals on a consistent basis and he taught me to stay focused on these goals. So that's what I did. I wrote out my goal for a year down the road and I specifically stated HOW I was going to achieve that goal....and guess what?! I accomplished exactly what I wanted to accomplish. Boy was all that goal-setting worth it! This shows precisely the power of setting goals and writing them down!! Put together an online file or a journal of all of your goals...Write them down SPECIFICALLY! Write down exactly what you will do to make those goals come to life! Setting a goal is not nearly enough. You must put yourself into action and determine HOW you are going to make it happen. Then focus on that each and every day until you finally achieve the goal.

So I've been staying focused on my training/prep. My cardio the last few days has been awesome. I'm busting my butt right now and continue to improve as each week passes! I'm still dreadfully sore from my back session on weds! Let's just say it hurts to lift up my arms because my lats are so sore!! I think this is the most sore that I have ever been -- I'm most definitely taking all of my glutamine and needed protein right now to help my back muscles recover! Today I'm meeting Peter at Snap for shoulders!! Little by little, I'm building that beautiful CAP.  So that's about it for now...

I'm excited for Tanji's workshop tomorrow -- It should be a BLAST and I cannot wait to see all the girls! It's always so great to meet all the women competing and hear their story! Everyone has their own journey and their own reason for competing and I love getting to know where everyone is at in their journey.

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE!

Diane

Tags: Mindset | focused | commitment | goal setting | Goals

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Well, let me start off by saying that I am SORE...I'm beyond sore...

I took the last week off. Some people jump right back in and other take even a couple weeks off....I've found that taking one week off is the perfect amount of time for me. It's enough time to give me that much needed break, yet it's not too long. By Sunday, I was itching to get back into the gym!

Last week was great. I spent A LOT of time with my family and my fiance. They were all so supportive of the time I spent away from them training over the past 4 months, so it felt GREAT to spend time with them. Plus my cousin from Nevada and her family came into town last weekend, so it was great to sit back and relax with everyone...and enjoy some tasty food!! I think that I actually ate everything that was on my "list". I had pancakes, Burgermaster, Red Robin, Mexican...Ice cream..A variety of things. The good news is that by Sunday, I was sooooo ready to get back into clean eating. I actually started to crave brown rice, chicken, fish, broccoli etc...Overall, it was a great week of relaxing, but I'm also very excited to be back on the workout/clean eating train this week!!

Yesterday was my first day back in the gym and it felt amazing. I did AM cardio and never felt so happy to jump on the treadmill. I then went back to Snap Fitness after work for an awesome leg workout. I'm going to be busting my butt over the next few months to really add some mass. We stuck with the basic leg movements and lifted HEAVY! I always love the transition to real heavy lifting. I love the mass-building phase...there's just something that I love about lifting as heavy as possible. Yeah, I do like the higher reps to sculpt the body right before a show, but I'm telling you...I LOVE heavy weight and low reps!! So, I'm very excited to get training this week. That's also why I'm so extremely sore. After taking one week off and then jumping right into a heavy leg workout...boy are my legs cranky this morning. But it's all good...It's all worth it!

My schedule is a little funky, which bums me out, but I'll just have to make it work. For those of you who don't know, I go to UW Bothell full-time and work about 30 hours a week...and train...so my schedule gets a little crazy once school starts. So for now I'll be working during the week, and taking a full load of classes during the week as well.  After work/school, I'll head to the gym to lift.  I'll also continue to do AM cardio before work to save time later in the day. The most tricky part about this schedule is the food!! I leave my house at about 4:15am for the gym, then don't get home until 7:00 or 8:00 at night. So I have to pack food for ALL day.  Not only that, but I have to make time to prep food in that little bit of time I have in the evenings...Whew..A little hectic, BUT I'm determined to make the most of every day ahead of me. I want to make some big changes for the Spring shows, so I need to buckle down and do work :)

This will be my week to write out all my goals for the next 6 months. I want to get them all down on paper. I do this so that I can review them on a daily basis and look back on them to see all that I have accomplished! I also need to pick a new "Theme Song". As I mentioned in one of my first blogs, Bryan Clay spoke at my church and mentioned how he had a "Theme Song" that he listens to every morning when he gets to the gym to train for the Olympics. I took his advice and picked "My Deliverer" by Mandisa and boy did that song help me out. It kept me focused on what I wanted to accomplish right as I stepped into the gym. It reminded me of my goals and also reminded me to stay focused on the Lord for strength to achieve my goals. So I'll be picking a new song sometime this week...I just have to find the perfect song!!

Well, that's it for now. I'll keep everyone posted on my training.

For all you competitors doing the Olympa show..I'll be there to cheer you on!! Stay Strong and Focused...You're ALMOST there. Finish strong so that you can step on that stage feeling 100% confident in the progress that you've made and the physique that you are bringing!!

**The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them** -Denis Watley

For all of you enjoying your time off...Still make time to plan your future. Get out a pen and paper and write out your goals...They need to be so clearly defined that you can literally visualize yourself achieving them. Dream BIG...Everything is possible!!

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE!!

Diane

Tags: Goals | Dreams | Visualization | legs

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I haven't  been on here in several days...

I had a VERY busy weekend. I got a lot done and trained hard, but boy was it exhausting!!

Friday was a tough day for me. It was one of those days that tests how bad you REALLY want to train for a show. It was my day to load up on healthy carbs and I was VERY happy to finally eat my sweet potato! It tasted so good after several days of very low carbs. While I was so happy to finally eat a good amount of carbs, I was soooo tired. I honestly didn't think I'd make it through my day of work.  My whole body felt weak and tired and normally I can push through it, but Friday was a whole different story. Since I was feeling more exhausted than ever, I really didn't want to go to the gym. All I could think about was my bed. BUT of course I still went into the gym...But let's just say I didn't have too big of a smile on my face when I got there. Pete could tell that I was really not feeling the gym. When we were about to start training I told him that I wasn't going to be able to train. I couldn't believe it. I actually wanted to quit before I had even started. This is VERY unlike me. Thank goodness for Pete. He reminded me of the bigger picture. He reminded me that I'm doing this all for God and God will give me the strength. In the end I DID finish my workout and even finished up with cardio. I was so thankful that he pushed me to keep going. It's not like me to give up so easily, so that's when it's crucial to have a great support system and also remind yourself WHY you train. As I mentioned in a previous blog, the REAL reason why you train is something that you constantly need to remind yourself of to keep yourself moving when you really don't want to.

It's easy to look at those tough days as bad days. I mean realistically I didn't train 100% because I was so darn tired and so darn negative. I didn't even give myself a chance to train before I decided I wanted to quit the workout. Doesn't make much sense does it? BUT! I think it's important to look at those days as good days. As long as you don't give up, it's a good day. Even though it wasn't my best workout and even though I was a tad bit grumpy the whole time, I still did it. I still pushed past what I didn't want to do and did what I NEEDED to do. It's those moments that really allow you to shine and learn. It allows you to fully realize how amazing the journey really is. Without struggles, it would be so boring.

So overall Friday was tough. I seemed to be somewhat of an emotional wreck...But I pushed through it and had an amazing workout on Saturday. I woke up Saturday morning and did my cardio.  After cardio I went home and cleaned cleaned cleaned! I've been so busy lately and it's really starting to show in our house. None of the laundry was done...None of the dishes were done...etc. So I kept myself busy and got a lot done. Then it was back to the gym!! I went to LA and lifted. Once again, it was not that busy. I was very thankful because sometimes it can get PACKED in that gym, making it difficult to get everything done. I finished up with more cardio and REALLY kicked butt on my cardio!! I've started drinking Chain'd Out through-out my day, especially before and during cardio, in order to prevent muscle breakdown. Chain'd Out is a ALRI Amino Acids Supplement. It's a drink mix that tastes DELICIOUS!! I have the Strawberry Banana and Appletini...Tasty and packed with Amino Acids! What more could I want ;) Oh the simple things in life that make us competitors happy!

After the gym Saturday I headed to the Mariners game with Barry and some of his friends. His best friend is in the Marines and has been stationed in Hawaii since coming back from his tour and so it was fun to see him and his family and gf. I kept my will power strong at the game. All the garlic fries and hot dogs sure smelled delicious!! The tough thing about sporting events is that there is good food EVERYWHERE. Ha! There's no way to escape it. There's always someone sitting/standing/walking near me that has delicious smelling food. But I'm happy to say that I snuck some good food into the game and stuck to my water and protein!

Then Sunday...What a great day. Sunday is always my favorite day of the week. It's my time to go to Church and celebrate God with my family. It is always awesome to see my family. I have been blessed with such amazing parents and siblings and I'm the happiest when I spend time with them and Barry. It was my day to rest and trust me, I thoroughly enjoyed my time to rest. I ate VERY clean and just enjoyed the day. Simply Wonderful!

Today is legs and I cannot wait!! It's nice to know that each week my thighs, glutes and hamstrings get a bit tighter. There's nothing better than seeing the results from all of your hardwork!! The results WILL come eventually if you put in the time, that's the wonderful thing about training. There's no maybe. If you do the work, you WILL see results!! So I'm excited to go the gym and work my booty off, literally ;) I'll finish up with cardio, of course.

We're getting closer. Before we know it, the show will be here!! I cannot wait!!! Everything is coming together and I could not be more thankful for the way things are going. Plus the team is doing excellent. All the guys and gals at Snao training for the show are kicking butt.  It is everyone's first show and they are all SOOO ready!! Can't wait.

For all you country fans out there...Tim McGraw's song, How Bad Do You Want It? is great!

Some lyrics from the song...

People always ask me, "Son what does it take to reach out and touch your dreams?"

To them I always say..

Are you hungry? Are you thirsty?

Is it a fire that burns you up inside?

How bad do you want it? How bad do you need it?

Are you eating, sleeping, dreaming with that one thing on your mind?

Cause if you want it all, you've got to lay it all out on the line.

I think that says it all. If you want it, you've got to go after it. You CAN make it happen, but only if you put your goals/dreams into action.

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE!

Diane

Tags: ALRI | Goals | Mindset | disciplined | legs | persistence

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The topic at my Church, Champions Centre, has been VISION BUILDING.

Last week, clarity was discussed and how important it is to know exactly what you want.

The point was made that people who know exactly what they want push past fear.  When you are focused on your vision for your life, you will be more willing to push past fear to get exactly where you want to be. People who know what they want are ready when opportunity knocks.  Basically when you know exactly what you want, it keeps you focused on what must be accomplished and helps you to be ready for anything. That in itself was an amazing message.  This week, my pastor went even further to say that in order to build your vision for your life, you MUST be confident.

"God does not sponsor confusion" - Kevin Gerald. Overall, confidence is key in accomplishing your dreams and goals. God will not bless those who are lacking faith; confidence is faith.  Every single person will meet opposition while trying to accomplish their dream, yet those who are confident in what they are doing will push past the opposition. Confidence is what gets you through opposition.  By losing confidence, you're walking away from what is planned for your life. Don't let that happen. Stay strong and decide that you will not sway once you have your vision for your future and your life. As I always say, you've got one shot down here.  Don't let your vision go to waste because you fear a little criticism or a little opposition....Just fight through it. There's always going to be something trying to push you down...It's simply a test to see how bad you really want it.

So anyways, my weekend was amazing!! I trained my butt off on Saturday! I had an amazing back workout and kicked booty at cardio. Then yesterday I left Church feeling pumped up to start my week.  The show is so close and Church always keeps me focused in on what really matters. I don't have time to waste, especially when it gets down to being 5 weeks out...So every little bit of inspiration from God and my family helps!

Today is Day 1 of NO CARBS...I'll be lowering carbs until Friday.  As I've said before, I do this once a month.  It seems to be working out very well for me...So I'll stick to it :) Today is also Leg Day!! Whoo! I always get excited to start my week off with Legs! I also have a massage scheduled after my workout today...So it's going to be extra good!! The massage always helps me to recover and it prevents me from getting stiff and too sore! Overall, it will be a great day. It is what you make it right?

Well, off to work I go. I'm anticipating a busy day in the store...Thanks to the sunshine!

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE!

Diane

Tags: Visualization | Determination | Goals | focused | legs

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My mom recently found several boxes filled with tons of my notes/pictures/fun stuff from my middle school days.  After middle school, we moved to a different house and many items I packed away were never unpacked.  It was great to go through all of my stuff and “re-live” those days. 

In middle school, I took TONS of pictures and made many collages…I put all of these around my walls, covering almost every inch of wall space.  When we moved, I simply took down all the pics/posters/collages and put them in boxes. Anyways…When I was going through the boxes recently I found my “Dream/Goal Pictures”.  These were printed out pictures of my goals, including the vehicle I would plan on owning in high school/college.  I pulled out a picture of a lifted red Silverado.  When I was younger, all I wanted was a lifted truck and I loved a red Silverado that I once found online. So I printed it out and put it on my wall.  So when I found this picture, my jaw dropped, as I had forgotten that I had this included in my “Dream/Goal Pictures”. I was amazed because my senior year of high school I bought a lifted red Silverado.  To this day I still drive the same truck. Crazy isn’t it?  With days and days spent looking at my goals in Middle School, I actually ended up with a truck VERY similar to the one in the picture.  By having the picture on my wall to look at every day, it allowed me to frequently visualize myself owning that truck.

Finding that picture and examining how closely it resembled the truck that I drive today, I realized how important it is to have a “Dream Journal” or “Dream Board” or even just pictures in odd places around the house of things you want to own/places you want to go/a house you want to buy/things you want to accomplish etc…

Not only will these pictures serve as reminders to keep your dreams alive, but most likely they will force you to visualize yourself in the future with that goal/dream accomplished.

So my plan is to make a Goal/Dream Journal.  This notebook will have all my goals and dreams written out.  I will include my game-plan for achieving each one and will fill it with pictures that represent my goals and dreams.  This will be something that I can reference back to when I’m lacking motivation or feeling discouraged.  All I’m sayings is Dream Big and NEVER lose sight of what you want…Why not? You’ve got nothing to lose J

Well, I just finished my protein shake and my oatmeal. Yumm…I tossed ¼ cup of blueberries into my oatmeal and it tasted SOOOO good.

Today is chest.  I’ll be pushing my intensity to the limits….WHOO! Time to make some progress.

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord’s Light SHINE!

Diane

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Tags: Goals | Dreams | Visualization | Chest

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So today is Day 1 of our new program.  We’re starting a new lifting schedule. I love starting a new schedule…As soon as we start a new schedule my body starts to make more drastic changes, so I’m super excited for the great changes. Monday-Friday we’ll lift one body part per day. Saturday will be a circuit followed by posing.  Although I’m not competing in Figure at the Ironman, I think it’s important to practice posing.  It really helps me to focus on activating each muscle and it’s great way to see my progress.

I feel great because I went grocery shopping yesterday and prepped all of my food for the next several days.  This time around I bought a lot more veggies than normal.  I’m making it a goal this week to double up on my veggie intake.  I’m going to make bigger salads for lunch filled with spinach, bell peppers, green onions, broccoli, and cucumbers etc….tasty!! I just feel so much better when I eat a meal like this.

Speaking of goals…Every Monday I will try and remember to share my goals for the week with everyone and follow up at the end of the week with results.  One of my goals, as I already said, is to double up on the veggies.  Veggies serve as an excellent way to stay full and healthy while dieting.  I find that if I prep the veggies and store them in the fridge, I’m more likely to eat them when I’m in a pinch with cravings.

A second goal of mine is to up the intensity of my morning cardio.  I have a difficult time getting myself pumped up and intense for morning cardio since it’s so darn early.  It’s tough to climb out of bed at 4:00am and start cardio at 4:30 without being a little sleepy still.  I know that I CAN physically handle high intensity morning cardio, but my mind tends to get in the way. I need to remind myself that I can do high intensity work in the AM and my body will follow.

My last goal is to keep my water intake high during the weekends.  For some reason, my water intake drops on Saturday and Sunday.  It might be the lack of routine.  I have weekends off from work, so I tend to lose the scheduled routine that I have during the week.  When this happens, I tend to forget about my water. So that’s it.  I need to keep my water at a little over a gallon EVERY day during the week, even Saturdays and Sundays.

Today is leg day!! Whooo!! I’m very excited to get back into the gym for lifting after being so sick.  I have to keep my mind strong since I tend to assume that I’ll be super weak after a week of being sick.  Although being sick took a lot out of me, I know that I still have the physical strength that I did last week….So again, I’ll push the intensity!

Someone emailed this to me and I think it’s great…

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
-- Marianne Williamson

Let your light shine today!!  Don’t be scared to let your talents show.

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord’s Light Shine!

Diane

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Tags: Mindset | Determination | training legs | Goals

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**Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.** Isaiah 40:31

I had to dig up this verse a little while ago and "chew" on it.

At about 1:00 today I started to get the worst sore throat.  I was bummed, but I still went to the gym and kicked butt! Today was chest and biceps! I can tell that I'm starting to get leaner.  My muscles are showing through more visibly now.  Thank you Lord! That little bit of progress that can be seen by the eye motivates me so much.  I love being able to see how my fat begins to disappear after all this hard work! Sometimes I feel like I'm doing it all without seeing any gains, then one day I look in the mirror and all the fat seems to melt away.
So I trained hard then finished up with 30 min of cardio.  I was SWEATY!!! That sweat feels great.  I feel like if I'm not sweating, I'm not working hard enough.  At least for me personally. So when I end sweaty, I get pumped about my workout! Something that bugs me more than anything is when people go to the gym scared to sweat.  I've seen countless girls head into the gym with their hair and make-up done all fancy...They sit and chat, never working up a sweat.  I personally just don't get it.  As I've said before, we have so many different opportunities to improve our health and strength in the gym and it's crazy that so many people decide not take advantage of this opportunity.  I've said it a million times, but we've got one shot AND we only have one body! Keep it going strong.

So anyways, about my throat.  My throat has been getting worse and worse since this afternoon. For a bit I was getting very discouraged. All I was thinking about was training and how it would set me back to get sick.  It's like you build up so much momentum and then something puts a wall in front of you to slow you down. BUT I really got to thinking about this and reminded myself that something will always pop up to really try and slow you down.  The great thing is that YOU control your own destiny.  You are in complete control of how you react to different situations and that's what is so amazing about life. So after being discouraged for a short time, I decided to put this in God's hands.  I decided to head home, take a bunch of garlic, Vit-C and other vitamins, and get myself into bed early.  I did all of this (well besides the bed part since I haven't quite gotten there yet) BELIEVING that I would wake up 100% healthy tomorrow morning.  It's one of those things where you just have to put full faith into what you know will happen.  I KNOW that I'll wake up feeling all better tomorrow...Maybe even better than I've felt in a long time ;)

So that's that. I've got a horrible sore throat, but nothing is stopping me.  Walls will constantly be put up to slow me down, yet my will and determination is SOOO much stronger than any wall that could ever be put in front of me. My strength will be renewed!

So I'm off to bed. It's almost 8:00pm and I'm already getting in bed later than I was hoping. I know I know...I'm like an old lady! I'm 21 years old and go to bed at 8:00. Whoo!! ;)

I'll be back on here tomorrow feeling 100% ready to kick some booty at the gym.  Tomorrow is shoulders, so I need to be ready!

Keep On, Keeping On!!

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE!

Diane

Tags: setbacks | Goals | Determination

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Well today was excellent.  I try and focus on the hour in front of me.  My goal is to get everything done 100% each hour.  By doing this, I'm able to stay more consistent.  I drank more protein shakes than usual today, which is weird for me.  Most of the time (besides right after lifting) I'd rather eat real food because it seems to keep me more full.  I also got in almost two gallons of water.  Drinking all my water isn't too much of a struggle.  I seem to get in one gallon by about 2:30pm.  I feel so much better when I'm drinking this much water.

After work I headed into the gym for my leg workout.  Training legs is a love/hate thing....I hate doing legs, but I love the results! I think over the past year I've made the most improvements with training legs.  My legs were so weak when I started a year ago that it was very discouraging to lift.  I kept at it though and now I've learned to enjoy the pain :)  Today we did high reps!! It was hard, but nice to have a change.  We started off with squats on the Smith Machine.  We did 4 sets of 30 reps.  Boy were my legs burning! Then after the 4 sets, we superset walking lunges with leg extensions. We again did 30 reps for the leg extensions.  After this we did the leg press followed by step-ups.  We did 30 reps of leg presses and then went straight into 15 step-ups on each leg.  We finished up with a few other exercises and then cardio time!

Today was a real treat because I got a massage right after my workout.  Trina, the massage therapist at Snap, really worked out my legs and it felt AMAZING!! I really need to make more time for massage...I put 100% into my training and diet, yet don't always allow myself the time to recover and relax. BUT! I'm getting better at this.  My plan is to get a massage about every other week for now.  It's super helpful for my legs because they always seem to stay sore for a long time!

Well, that's it for now.  It's almost 8:00pm and I really need to get in bed.  I need to get up bright and early...My alarm will be going off at 3:45am and I need to be ready to go after my day!

**Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed** Proverbs 16:3

I'm going for the gold - HIS gold.

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE!

Diane

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Tags: training legs | Bikini | Goals | Determination

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I know that I've already discussed how I got into competing in my bio, but I figured I'd go into a little more detail. 

Growing up I never really played any competitive sports.  I did casual dance classes and horseback riding, but nothing that required me to train.  Through high school I would casually workout, but I spent more time focusing on work and school.  Once I graduated from Newport High School and began working full-time, I started gaining a lot of weight.  Within about 5 months I had put on 40 lbs; I went from 120lbs to 160lbs.  I remember the day that I went to the doctor because I was constantly feeling sick and exhausted.  The doctor looked at me and said "Well Diane, you have put on a good amount of weight.  Maybe that's why you're feeling this way".  Even though it upset me at first, I was happy that he said this.  It made me realize that even though my weight gain was small compared to some American’s, it was still destroying my health. So on New Years 2008, I took "Before" pictures and decided to make a change. I started eating completely healthy on Jan. 1st.  I kept my diet very healthy from Jan-May without any exercise.  That all changed when my mom got a family membership for all of us down at the Eastgate Snap Fitness.

I decided to head in there a couple times a week between classes at BCC. I would go in there and do 30 min of light cardio and then wander through the weights.  After seeing me in there a few times, Pete (The Fitness Director) introduced himself to me.  That's the thing that I LOVE about Snap Fitness...It's a small 24 hour gym and it's very personal.  Since it is so small, the staff gets to know all of the members very well. But don't underestimate the small size; it's small, but it has EVERYTHING you need to train hard. So anyways, he would talk to me whenever I came in and he set me up with Brent, one of the trainers, for a complimentary training session.  After that, I started going in there more and more. Then the day came when Pete approached me about doing a show.  I clearly remember being on the Elliptical and he stood in front of it and asked me, "Are you athletic?" I said "kinda....why?" Then he asked what I thought about competing in a fitness show.  He gave me some of the details and then I let him know I'd think about it.  After talking to my family, I made the decision to do it.  I figured that I had nothing to lose.  Boy am I thankful that I accepted his offer! After that I met both him and Brent every single day from May-October in order to train for the 2008 WA Ironman.  They both put a lot of effort into training me and I'm forever thankful.  After the Ironman, I was officially hooked and started training for the Vancouver show.  Now, a year later, I'm training for the 2009 Ironman.  It's been an AMAZING journey and I cannot begin to describe how much my life has changed for the better since I started this.

It makes me realize how God can make one little change in your life and it can completely turn everything around for the best.  All it took was my mom joining a gym and my life was forever changed.  If I would have never made it to Snap Fitness to start working out, I would not be where I am today! Snap will always be my favorite gym.  The whole team, at both Redmond and Eastgate, work so hard to improve the lives of their members and I'm just so thankful that Pete, Brent and the owners of Snap were so selfless in helping me prep for a show.  It motivates me to be successful in the industry so that I can do what they did and help others with weight lifting and training.  More specifically, my goal is to work with teenage and young women to help them overcome self-esteem issues.  I'm passionate about this because I used to have many self-esteem issues and through weight training I feel strong and confident.  Plus I think it's great that this industry demonstrates strength and muscles as sexy.  Many teenage girls are raised looking up to skinny runway models and Figure/Fitness/Bodybuilding/Bikini competitors serve as excellent role models that challenge that unhealthy social norm.

So overall, that's where I'm at.  I had to truly be overweight to appreciate this sport.  Although it was probably the worst time in my life, I'm so thankful that I experienced being overweight. Without knowing how it feels to be overweight and self-conscious, I would not be able to understand the hard work it takes to get back into shape.

My best piece of advice for new competitors is to see training as a journey.  It's easy to get caught up in the end result of being in great shape up on stage, but this can also be discouraging when you have a long ways to go.  Look at each day as an opportunity to improve your health, your strength and your overall physical capabilities.  Take it day by day. Remember that each day you workout and eat clean will move you closer and closer to optimum health. Stick to it.  As I've said before, you've got one shot down here.  Make the most of it.

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord’s Light SHINE!

Diane

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Tags: Vancouver | Ironman | Determination | Goals

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"We all have conversations going on inside our heads, I call it self-talk. Every athlete hears two competing voices.  One is a negative critic, and the other is a positive coach. Which voice we listen to is a matter of choice.  Which voice do you hear? Which is louder, the negative critic or the positive coach? You can choose to listen to the voice that offers and reinforces positive thought.  It has been said that thoughts become words.  Words become actions. Actions become habits. Habits become character. Character becomes your destiny." - Gary Mack

I would agree that the majority of each competitors success or failure is due to their mindset.  You can lift every day, but if you're not lifting with a positive outlook, I can almost promise you that you won't get GREAT results.  It's funny how the mind works and I'd love more knowledge on this subject.  All I have is experience and what I've learned from other people, but even that is enough to prove to me how important our thoughts are.  My trainer always says, "What You Think About, You'll Bring About"  This conversation came up when I asked him why I could eat somewhat clean and still workout after show and quickly re-gain a chubby stomach, whereas my sister could eat like crap and not workout right after the show and not gain any weight.  While of course the way our bodies work has something to do with this, but Pete brought up an excellent point.  While I normally let my negative voice speak louder when it comes to my stomach, my sister eats without thinking about gaining weight or getting a chubby tummy.  She is carefree, in that sense.  I thought about what he said and he was right.  The last year I've made great progress...I'm lifting heavier, I've gained more muscle mass and overall, I've lost a lot of fat! BUT even though I've made that progress, I still continue to dwell about my "chubby tummy" It is my problem area for sure, but that doesn't mean I should constantly focus on my stomach in a negative way.  Instead of allowing the positive coach in my head push me to believe that my stomach WILL lean out wonderfully, I allow the negative voice to insist that I'll always have a chubby stomach area. So since my goal is to come in leaner, especially around the mid-section, at the Ironman, I NEED to believe that I will lean out wonderfully.  I need to match up my goals with my thoughts.  If I keep insisting that I have a tummy, I'll never get the cut abs that I want. So today will be day one of REALLY working on my thoughts regarding my stomach.  What's funny is I actually have really positive thoughts towards my training, except for my stomach. SO it's going to take a lot of work to get my mindset right, but without a good mindset, I've got nothing.

Today has been great so far! I met a couple gals at PooPoo Point in Issaquah and we hiked up to the main look out. It's a great hike.  It's pretty steep, yet not too long. SO it works out perfect for me to fit in as a cardio session on the weekends.  Luckily we got there at about 8:00am, so we beat the hot heat! We made sure to keep up a good pace up the mountain.  It's nice to be able to sneak in different types of cardio here and there. Plus it gets my glutes firm ;)

I'll head into the gym in a bit to lift.  Saturdays I normally just pick whatever muscle group I feel like doing.  Last Saturday I did chest and biceps, but I think today I'll do shoulders. When I do shoulders, I do them alone and heavy!! I really need to put on muscle in this area and so far staying heavy and without any muscle groups has been working great! M-F I hit each muscle group once, so Saturday is my day to hit something extra!

Well, I'm out!! I'm starving and need to feed my body!! Eggs sounds great...I'm still craving them like crazy. Weird, but good I guess!

Tomorrow is my day of rest.  I'll be at church in the am, then spending the rest of the day with my amazing fiance!

Remember to really work on your mindset.  There's so much emphasis on physical training in this sport, but not enough on the mental aspects of it.

If you're spending three hours in the gym a day to lift, how long are you spending to train you mind?

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE!

Diane

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Tags: Determination | Goals | Mindset | Thoughts

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I’ve heard many people say “Ugh…I have to go workout”.  I don’t really understand this.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my days where I really didn’t want to head into the gym, but ever since I changed my mind set, this hardly ever happens anymore.  I started realizing how blessed I am to be able to physically push my body.  We were all created with so much opportunity for strength, health and endurance.  It seems ridiculous that some people don’t take advantage of that.  Especially considering there are people out there who are disabled or severely injured who would LOVE the opportunity to do cardio or lift weights.  Every so often I lift at LA Fitness in Mill Creek and I usually see a younger guy in a wheel chair.  He’s in there doing the best that he can, yet it is a struggle for him to even get up for each weight machine.  When I see this, it astounds me that there are injury free and 100% able people who complain and whine because they have to do 30 min of cardio. I mean really?  Overall, the majority of competitors, the new and the experienced, really have it so easy.  I’m not saying it’s easy to bust butt in the gym every day, BUT at least we can easily get from machine to machine, we can easily get on the cardio machines and work it out…You know….It’s not a struggle like it is for some people.  For this reason, I see the gym as an excellent opportunity to improve and strengthen my body.  I’ve got one shot down here on Earth, and one body to accomplish everything I need to accomplish.  It just seems silly to look at each workout as something that I need to get done and check off my list with a feeling of dread.  Honestly, I get pumped knowing that each day I have the opportunity to push myself mentally and physically.  There’s no complaining. Just do it…and please do it with a smile and a thankful heart.

That being said, I’ve been working my butt off in the gym.

Yesterday we did Back and Triceps! We did supersets and made sure to keep our heart rates up!  We did five different exercises for both back and triceps.  We did these back to back…at a quick pace.  There’s no point in lifting if you don’t go into each rep with mental focus and intensity, so we made sure to do this.  My trainer Pete is great about making sure we go into each and every set with intensity and focus.  He doesn’t get too happy if we don’t J  Thank goodness for him keeping us focused sometimes. With five girls training together at one time several days out of the week, it’s easy for us gals to chat away and the gym is no place for chatting!!

So after lifting, my sister and I jogged to a hill close by Snap Fitness in Bellevue and did sprints.  I’m having a great time working on speed, plus I can feel it lifting my booty already ;)   I did my cardio this morning.  It’s nice to get my sweat on so early in the morning.  There’s something refreshing and energizing about it.  After work today, I’ll head to Snap and get my lifting and more cardio done.  Today will most likely be a full-body pump.  Regardless of what we do, it’s going to be a great workout today!

I’m going to go finish my shake and get to work!

“Remember, happiness doesn’t depend on who you are or what you have done; it depends solely on what you think" Dale Carnegie

Approach the gym with a thankful and focused mind.  Once you begin to think of the gym as an amazing opportunity…it will become one.

Stay Strong. Stay Focused.  Let the Lord’s Light Shine!!!

 Diane

Tags: Goals | Determination | Ironman | Bikini

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You cannot run away from a weakness; you must some time fight it out or perish; and if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?” – Robert Stevenson

I completely agree with this quote. Although I think it is wrong to dwell on our weaknesses, I think it’s crucial to recognize and strengthen our weaknesses. I’ve mentioned before that I think it is very important to write down your goals. I think it’s crucial to specifically map out where you want to go and how you’re going to get there. I think this same process must be applied to a person’s weaknesses. I write down my biggest weaknesses/temptations that could potentially get in the way of successfully prepping for a show. I then list specific things that I can do that will “fight out” my weakness.

A big weakness for me is the fact that I have to make customers delicious smelling/tasting smoothies all day long without being able to try them. In the past, I would allow myself a little sip of a smoothie, even if it did not match what I NEEDED to eat for the show. This is something that has set me behind in the past. That’s why I wrote it out on paper and came up with different ways in which I can prevent myself from giving into my cravings and tasting smoothies. Every day I pray that God will give me strength to not give into any cravings, no matter how big the craving is. Anytime I look at a smoothie and think how delicious it probably tastes, I remind myself of the stage that I’ll be stepping on in three months and ask God for strength to stay focused on what I need to do. By doing this, I have become so much stronger. I now have a mentality at work that allows for me to stay committed and eat ONLY what I need to be eating, nothing more and nothing less.

I have many other weaknesses; we all do. My point is that we all need to face our weakness and fight it out. No one is perfect and we will always have some sort of weakness, but how will we ever be successful and reach our dreams if we do not have a game plan to overcome them? Eventually by overcoming that weakness, you will have a new strength. For me, my weakness used to be my diet. I have made a point to focus on solutions that would help me overcome cravings during dieting. On a daily basis I review how I will overcome potential setbacks during my day. By doing this, my diet has become my strength. My ability to eat clean has strengthened and cravings are no longer the issue that they used to be.

My training has been going great this week. I’ve made a point to walk into the gym ready to push myself 100%. I focus on each rep, in the moment, in order to make sure each one is done with everything in me. This was very important today as I worked on my shoulders. I’m still lifting heavy weight with low reps for shoulders in order to build that beautiful cap ;) I did 6 different exercises, each with 4 sets and 10 reps. By the time I was finished, my shoulders were toast! Slowly but surely I’m beginning to build that cap. All this hard work will pay off and I’ll eventually have shoulders resembling many Pro competitors. Tomorrow I’ll wake up at about 4:00am and get my cardio done. After work I’ll hit the gym and get back and triceps done, followed by sprints! Whooo!! It’s so great to finish one day of training and still be hungry for more. Tomorrow will be great!

Stay Strong. Stay Focus. Let the Lord’s Light Shine!

Diane

Tags: Determination | Goals

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Vince Lombardi was quoted describing "commitment" as heart power.  He said, " A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive, and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done.  Once a man has made a commitment, he puts the greatest strength in the world behind him. It's something we call heart power. Once a man has made a commitment, nothing will stop him short of success"

Ever since I found this quote in the book, Mind Gym, I have made an effort to read it several times a day.  It explains the true essence of a commitment.  It's about your heart.  If you put your heart completely into something, it WILL happen.  If you make a commitment, you need to have everything in you working towards that goal.  I think this applies to everything in life and I especially relate it to my training and my goal of going Pro and competing at the Pro level.  Training for a show takes a lot of sacrifice.  It takes going to bed early when everyone else is out late so that you'll feel great for your training session the next day.  It takes not eating that delicious looking food.  For myself it took staying home, eating chicken and broccoli with water on my 21st Birthday before the 2008 Ironman.  It takes A LOT to compete, but if you use heart power and give it all you have, it is the most amazing opportunity.  It especially takes heart power to get yourself in the gym when you're exhausted and wanting to go home and lay on the couch oh so badly!!

That's how my day went today.  Even though I went to bed early last night, I had to literally pull myself out of bed this morning to do my cardio.  Normally once I'm up, I'm feeling good and ready for cardio, but not this morning.  This morning was one of those cardio sessions where you're 5 min in and you feel like you've been on the machine for 40 min! One of those days! It was awful BUT I reminded myself that this is a commitment that I have made, regardless of whether or not I am loving my cardio at the moment.  I kept my eyes on the gold, picturing myself on stage.  It has also helped that I have made a commitment to God.  I am doing this for Him and what He has planned for my life.  That in itself keeps me going. Anyways...after I finished my cardio I was off to work, STILL EXHAUSTED!! All I could think about was getting into bed tonight. So I snuck in a 20min nap before heading into the gym and I once again reminded myself of my goal for the day.  My goal was to train legs today with energy, regardless of whether or not I really felt energized.  Believe it or not, the more I focused on having energy, the more energy I had.  Overall, by treating training as a commitment to both myself and the Lord, I am able to keep myself pushing even when it's the last thing I want to do.  I've put my full heart into my training and health and when your hearts in it, you're unstoppable!

Find that passion in your heart and go after it.  Remember, all you need is that heart power. True heart power.

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light Shine!!

Diane

Tags: Determination | Goals

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So it has been a very hectic day for me.  Seemed like every little thing was going wrong.  Just one of those days.  What's funny is I was reading "Mind Gym" yesterday and there was a chapter about how athletes need to remember that they control themselves and that's it! You have to focus on what YOU CAN DO THE BEST IN THE MOMENT, regardless of what sort of situation arises.  When I read this chapter, I was thinking..Yeah, I'll already know this one, but I was really put to the test today.  My early morning cardio started out great.  I met my sister at the gym and we had a great cardio session, then I was off to work.  This is when my "planned" day went crazy.  I'm the type of person who likes to have everything planned out, so when everything went in quite the opposite direction, I really had to remind myself about what I read yesterday.

Work was CRAZY! There were literally non-stop customers for hours and I was STARVINGGG!! It's tough making protein shakes for the customers, but not being able to have any myself!  Not to mention today was my fifth day of very low carbs. Then my training schedule got switched up.  Many other things seemed to be going wrong and made for a stressful day. BUT in the end I rememebered that I need to take control of MYSELF and not worry about all of the other things I couldn't control.  Everything that I had read yesterday helped me to keep my cool today.  It's really amazing how God can put certain situations/people/things in your life JUST at the right time for it to fit exactly with what you'll be needing. There's always going to be little things trying to get in your way of succeeding, but the journey to success would not be as gratifying without these challenges.  If going Pro in the bodybuilding world was easy, would anyone really want to do it? It takes a lot of hardwork (Even for bikini competitors like myself, which I will get into at a later time) and a lot of sacrifice, but that's what makes it such an amazing experience. I'm sure you've heard it a million times, but champions truly look at the challenges in their lives as amazing opportunities.  Opportunities to grow, change, improve and become stronger. Cliche I know, but I had to say it.

As for my training yesterday and today! Things went very well! Last night I went down to the track and did sprints. My sister did them with me while my mom walked the track and it was great to have my sister there to push me.  My younger sister competed at the 2009 Vancouver show with me and placed 2nd, beating me.  She did excellent training for that show and plans on doing another one in the future, maybe next Spring.  Overall, she kicked my booty last night.  It was great to have someone to race with, pushing me to my limits. Even though she's been out of training for a few months, she's still tough as heck.  My plan is to do longer sprints at the track 1x/week and then shorter uphill sprints 1-2x/week as well.  That way I can mix it up!

One week out of each month, I'll deplete my carbs M-F afternoon and then begin increasing my carb intake Friday after my weights.  This has really helped me lean out and with mental toughness, the lack of carbs really doesn't get to me.  I seem to handle low carbs just fine, even when busting my buns in the gym. So that was this week for me.  This last Monday I cut out carbs and then finally this afternoon I was able to eat my delicious sweet potato! It tasted AMAZING and my body felt amazing afterwards! It's crazy what little tweaking to the diet can do! I'm getting better and better at understanding what my body likes and doesn't like.

Tomorrow I'll either go on a run or stick to cardio in the gym, depending on what time I go since it's supposed to be hot!  Then I'll also head into the gym for chest and biceps. Whoo!! Then it's BBQ time! BBQ chicken made VERY clean for me and hamburgers for everyone else!

Sunday will be my day of rest! Once I get closer to the show, I'll add a cardio session and maybe some light weights into my week on Sunday.  But for now, I need sometime to let my crazy busy life relax a little.

Have an AMAZING 4th of July tomorrow!! Be safe and have fun!!

Stay Strong. Stay Focused.  Let the Lord's Light Shine!

Diane

Tags: Determination | Goals | Bikini | Vancouver

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Good Morning!! Man, it is so nice to get up way early when it's so beautiful out! Today is my day for sprints.  I'm hoping that I can do them after the gym tonight so that it will be somewhat cool outside.  Right now I'm doing uphill sprints 2x/week.  I found this great hill by my house in the Bothell/Mill Creek area that kills!! Plus later in the day it is in complete shade.  I attempted to do sprints consistently in the Winter, but with constant rain and crazy snow, it made it difficult.  I'm not a huge fan of sprints on the treadmill either....Something about it freaks me out. But I'm happy to say that the great weather has brought VERY CONSISTENT sprints and it's really getting my booty in shape!

So far my morning has been great! I got to the gym early and did a little extra cardio and did all of my ab work for the day as well! Then I'll go back to the Snap Fitness in Bellevue to meet Pete and the gals. Today is back and triceps. Whoo!! These are two of my favorite body parts to train! Most likely we'll be doing supersets, matching one back exercise with one tricep exercise.  We've been at it hard, with little rest between sets.  Gets me sweaty for sure...Gotta love it!

By the way, last night I started reading "Mind Gym - An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence" and so far it is AMAZING! It's very similar to a book I read in prep for Vancouver called "Peak Performance - Mental Training Techniques of the World's Greatest Athletes" This is one that Brent had me read when training and it really helped me with my squats.  I was having a hard time getting low enough and after reading Peak Performance I would visualize perfect squats and after that they began to improve a lot!! Either of those books are great! I haven't quite finished Mind Gym, but I'll probably finish reading it soon considering I couldn't put it down yesterday! Training for a show really is mostly MENTAL.  If we can train our minds as much as we train our bodies, we'd really be onto something! I'll keep you posted on Mind Gym as I finish it up, but so far I would definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone!!

Well, I'm going to finish up my protein shake and get working! Should be a busy day today! For those of you who don't know, I'm a Store Manager at an Emerald City Smoothie.  Summer is our busiest time of year, so today should be slammed! Then I'll be off to the gym! Whoo!!

*Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It's our goal in life to find it and keep it lit*
-Mary Lou Retton

Stay Focused. Stay Strong. Let the Lord's Light Shine!

Diane

Tags: Goals | Determination | Bikini

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