Touring Atlanta + Sizzlefish Holiday Giveaway

December 16, 2013 By Laura

Staying in town can feel like a vacation.

Not quiiiiite like going to Tahiti… but you know.

This weekend Sarah graced me with her presence. She drove in Monday night from Birmingham and we spent the next 2.5 days touring rainy Atlanta. It’s fun to entertain out-of-towners because you get to see your city in a whole new way!

Sarah arrived Friday afternoon with cookies in hand. She shared the Vegan Carob Peach Fudge Cookies from her #strangebutgood post Friday. They were the perfect appetizer before we headed to dinner. We did so much I have to break it up into 2 posts. Today is the “doing,” and the Atlanta food tour will happen Wednesday.

Saturday morning we hit my gym for a glute workout. Check out this IG video for a taste of what we did. Sarah hung like a champ! She’s a natural.

After a solid hour of hard work, I told Sarah she was ready to compete… so we practiced a pose (this is why I don’t do bikini):

Naturally this had to be followed with a trip to Buford Highway to shop the massive international farmer’s market, where we met up with Sarena. We were there for 2 hours… only a food-friend can understand how grocery shopping is an entertaining sightseeing activity.

I had told Sarah how cheap it is, but she was still shocked at how little her market finds were! The new-to-me treats this time were a Ponkan orange and some sort of Korean puffed rice crackers. I also found a giant bag of my favorite Chimes peanut butter ginger chews!

That market is massive – it’s like the size of Wal-Mart. You can browse an entire aisle of Mexican hot sauces, or sample baklava at the Easter European bakery or peruse greens you’ve never heard of before. Watching my friend wander around filled with wonder at all the international delights was the best part of my weekend.

Sarah left yesterday. After trying to convince her to stay, I sent her on her way in true blogger fashion – with a to-go container of protein oatmeal. More to come later in the week… I need to leave room to tell you about an amazing giveaway!

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I have been obsessed with Sizzlefish ever since I had the opportunity to try a box via Fitfluential. The fish is delicious – it surprised me how fresh it tastes despite being frozen.

Last week I pulled out a piece of the salmon to cook when I was short on groceries. It thawed while I was at work, so all I had to do when I got home was squeeze some lemon juice, dill, and pepper on top before broiling it for 7 mins. Easy dinner!

So what’s in it for you?

The awesome people at Sizzlefish agreed to do a special holiday giveaway! Not only will you win a box of this Holiday Sampler (worth $59!), but they will also send a box as a gift to a person of your choosing! ~~Feel free to pick me.~~ 😉

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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I’m a little sad it rained all weekend – I wanted to take Sarah on a walking tour! From the looks of it, everyone else had rain or snow too. Bring on the sunshine!

What is your favorite fish?

Do you consider grocery shopping a form of entertainment/tourism?

Accidental Long Runs + Mizuno Wave Rider 17 Review

December 3, 2013 By Laura

Cardio hasn’t been fun recently.

The following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Mizuno. All opinions are my own.

I like cardio when it’s MY idea. Having it as a mandatory daily activity during competition prep makes it a chore. That’s a thing of the past (for now), and I have gotten the itch to run more. The added motivation of new shoes doesn’t hurt. Does anyone else get oddly motivated by new workout gear?!

I’ve never had the chance to try out a Mizuno running shoe. When I got the opportunity to try the new Wave Rider 17, I jumped at it! It’s a neutral running shoe with a good amount of support.

After all of the Thanksgiving festivities and football disappointments, I was itching for a run. Sunday I headed out to tackle Atlanta’s hilly streets in my new Wave Riders.

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Competition Blues

November 26, 2013 By Laura

When a big event ends it’s a little sad.

What do I DO if I’m not planning and prepping?!

Rest is a good thing, but it can be a hard thing to swallow. I’ve heard people talk about feeling down after races, weddings, babies… and competitions. This time around I’m feeling it more than I did before. I think it’s because I know it’s going to be a long time before I compete again (more on that below).

Today’s Work It Out is my attempt to get over it by focusing on lessons learned at Kentucky Muscle and The Rocky, and getting excited to make improvements.

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Season 2 Lessons Learned

1. Support is Invaluable

Having my trainer and 2 very good friends around throughout the process made it 100x easier. Surround yourself with positive people, even better if they can empathize. Heather and Lisa are versatile friends – they were the perfect partners-in-crime in Napa for my 30th and for competing!

Check out the transformation from July to November (photo-editing courtesy Heather):

From Napa to the stage

2. Big Shows are Tough

I’m not talking just the level of competition (though it is harder). I’m talking mentally. They are long, long days. The Rocky show was the most disorganized situation I’ve ever seen. They let too many people enter, causing the show to run so far behind that my group was just getting on stage for pre-judging when the evening show was supposed to begin. That show began 2 hours late… by the time we went to stage again I no longer cared even a little bit.

It was an exercise in patience, rolling with the punches. Thank you for the lesson… but never will I ever do a Colorado show again. In near-ish the future I plan to stick to smaller shows. If you chose them right, they are still competitive but you don’t end up wasting so much time. I get that they want to make money, but there needs to be a cut off for entries. It’s not fair to the athletes or the people who buy tickets.

3. Celebrate Small Victories

Not placing Top 5 doesn’t mean you can celebrate the small victories. It’s no secret that I hate posing. It’s as far out of my comfort zone as you can get. Lisa, who has seen me almost since day 1, watched me in Colorado and said it’s the best I’ve never done.

Now I need to work on GROWING…

4. Growth Takes Time

I’ve gained a lot over the past 2 years, but I’m still too small. I feel like I look big in the gym lifting, but then you put me next to the other women and I look tiny. My trainer, Steve, has been telling me I need to take a year off to really grow. Competing every 6 months or so means I cut too often and lose some of the gains I make.

Steve and me

So I’ve decided to listen to Steve’s advice. I’m taking a year off to grow. This is contributing to the “blues” because I love having a goal line.

(I’m not always the best listener ← understatement of the year.)

5. Food is Good

My nutrition plan leading up to competition wasn’t so restrictive that I was miserable. You CAN compete in a healthy way. It doesn’t have to be tilapia and asparagus (click here for the “why” on asparagus) for months. You never need to be hungry (I stayed full!).

Towards the end you do need to keep with super clean and avoid anything that could bloat. For me, that meant a couple of weeks that were heavy on the white fish and asparagus. I cooked 2 pans of it for Heather and me the day before our competition!

Photo courtesy of Heather, whose spice drawer I could move into.

The happy part about a bulk year is that I get to have alllll the foods!

Heather’s husband, Kirk, help me kick it off right when he made smoked salmon and eggs benedict for us the morning after the competition. I am still dreaming of this:

#yolkporn

“I can’t wait to find out what happens on page number two.” ~Jennifer Nettles, Page #2

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Check out Heather’s Rocky recap here. I’m excited she’s already planning her return to the stage!

Have you ever experience the post-event blues? What do you do to cheer up?

Who is on your support team? Tell them how thankful you are this week!

A Relaxing Weekend

November 25, 2013 By Laura

This weekend was relaxing.

My version of relaxing… which is active relaxed.

This was the first weekend in a long time where I didn’t HAVE to do anything productive. I still did lots of things, but it was nice to not have a set agenda.

Friday night I had an impromptu dinner with my mom at local Italian restaurant Double Zero. We had a great time catching up and eating. I hadn’t seen her since my competition!

My favorite dish was the grilled octopus with pancetta hash, asparagus puree, and citrus vinaigrette, but the lamb farro was a close second. It was a smoke and braise lamb shoulder with apricots, figs, fresh ricotta, and a poached egg. Next to all that the beet salad was underwhelming.

This next morning I woke up ravenous, so I threw together some quick pancakes. I am not the Pancake Queen, so I was surprised when they turned out to be quite good!

I posted this Almond-Chocolate Pancake recipe here. The topping was the icing on the (pan)cake. I used Lorann Oils Irish Cream flavor in it!

Then it was off to the gym for a glute workout with some of my teammates. I normally workout solo and forgot how much fun it is to have a gym morning with friends!

After the workout we stood around talking about food (of course), and my friend Rachael revealed she hadn’t been to Whole Foods before! I suggested a post-workout trip and off we went. 2 hours later, we were full of samples and hot bar boxes and Rachael learned why we lovingly call it “Whole Paycheck.” She Instagrammed her finds – have you ever tried any of these items? Black bean pasta and no-salt mustard are awesome!

Saturday night I had a friend date with Kat. I’ve been looking forward to catching up with her for weeks! We talked and laughed for hours. You know those friends who just “get” you? That’s Kat.

We ate at the bar at Kimball House. Their cocktail program is incredible! Their take on a Manhattan used cola bitters – coolest thing ever! The food was ok… I’d go back for a pre-dinner drink or a nightcap.

Their take on a Manhattan with cola bitters, sautéed mushroom salad, and beef tartar

I took an “artsy” shot! Sort of:

Sunday was a beautiful day in Atlanta. It was sunny and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky! I decided to go for a run and enjoy the weather… as soon as I stepped outside I realized that – despite the sun – it was in the 30s. About a mile into it I thawed out and enjoyed myself.

I love the trees with the red leaves. They look like they’re on fire!

When I returned I had a lot to do in the kitchen. All fun creations! It was kombucha-brewing day. I have been brewing my own for over a year now. It’s really easy, especially if you have a starter kit (you need a “mother” called a scoby). Mine was from Brooklyn Kombucha, but you could also beg a friend who brews for a scoby.

This week’s flavors are cranberry-ginger-lemon and blackberry-lemon-mint.

I also did some baking for the Sunday evening end of season party at my training gym, House of Payne. I’ll share my #strangebugood brownie recipe next week. 😉

This is what happens when a bunch of competitors get together for a post-season party. It’s ok… we’re bulking…

There were plenty of green veggies, clean sweet potato casseroles, and protein. That pic just wasn’t as much fun.

I am so thankful to have found Steve and his gym. This group of competitors is top-notch. Everyone is kind and always willing to lend a hand. They are funny, genuine people who I am proud to be associated with.

Linking up to Katie’s MIMM again – I’d say this “relaxing” weekend was pretty marvelous!

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I’m 100% enjoying food freedom again. Bulking season is my favorite.

When was the last time you had an agenda-free weekend?

Have you been to Whole Foods? Do you remember your first time?

Competition Weekend Through an iPhone Lens

November 18, 2013 By Laura

I don’t even bring a camera when I travel anymore.

Disclosure: The following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Verizon Wireless.

When I got my first smart phone, it changed my world. I’ve never liked having to carry multiple devices or go to more than one source for tasks.

Verizon offered me the chance to upgrade from my iPhone 5 to a 5s and I pounced on the opportunity. From the solid, light-weight of the metal-casing to the fingerprint-reading lock, I am impressed. I also love the new iOS7 system. It offers iTunes Radio, which is like Pandora but better because you can tag songs as favorites to remember to purchase later. I’ve wished for this feature on the radio SO many times!

The light weight and the radio features allow me to travel light on a plane or the gym – just grab the phone and my in-flight entertainment or energy-inducing jams are there. I love being able shake up my music songs – my playlist was getting OLD after all this competition training.

Since I spent the weekend with Heather in Colorado for our competition, I joined her for a final workout. Radio up and headphones in, I killed the last back/tri workout I’ll do for 2 weeks (it’s REST time!). It was SO much fun to be able to do it with a friend, and to shamelessly ask gym employees to take iPhone pics for us.

Best of all is the super-fast Verizon 4G LTE service. I’m extremely impatient, so being able to over-share instantaneously via Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter is a must. I did just that alllll weekend long from Colorado!

I’m drafting this on a flight home and the internet is painfully slow, so the full recap will have to wait. In the meantime, here’s the iPhone-powered Cliff’s Notes:

Heather and I didn’t get top 5, but we had a blast. AND we got to cheer Lisa, who placed 4th in Bikini Class C.

We celebrated in style at one of Denver’s best restaurants, Fruition. Kait joined us too – it was so great to meet her for the first time. I ordered pasta carbonara with hand-made cavatalli, pork belly and a 6 minute egg (I ordered that solely for the #yolkporn) and duck conﬁt pierogi with caramelized brussels, kumquat marmalade, and roasted apple pan jus.

The food was great, the service was perfect, and the company couldn’t have been better… but I’m still amazed I didn’t fall asleep in my (unpictured) dessert.

Sunday was a beautiful morning – not a cloud in the sky! Heather, Kirk (her husband) and I slept in and headed out for coffee and a hike.

We headed back to meet Lauren and Greg (her husband) for brunch. We sipped on a Kirk-and-Heather whiskey barrel-aged homebrew (out-of-this-world good!) and shoveled a cheese plate in our mouths while Kirk prepared the meal The smoked salmon eggs benedict was one of the best I’ve had!

I’m sad to leave, but made a ton of good memories… and rekindled my desire to MOVE to Denver! It was all pretty marvelous.

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I am so grateful for Heather and Kirk putting ~~up with me~~ me up for the long weekend, and to everyone who commented/tweeted good luck messages. It all made the weekend that much more special. Thank you! <3

Are you an iPhone or Droid lover? What are your favorite apps? I’ve become addicted to LINE camera.

Do you like to hike? That’s one of the reasons I want to live in Denver!

The One Where Food Became Fuel

November 13, 2013 By Laura

Food, in the simplest of definitions, is fuel.

I missed that memo.

Food, for me, has always been entertainment. It’s art. It’s an experiment. It’s what I do when I’m sad, happy, grumpy, tired, bored… I love food. End scene.

You might imagine that a limited diet is my worst nightmare. I’ve been trying to prove you can still be creative on a competition diet. You can… but the last week of cutting is HARD. You’ll notice from last week’s WIAW at 4 days out, I still had a lot of variety. This time around I decided to try something new. Being more ~~boring~~ traditional.

I cut fat and am sticking to lean proteins (mostly tilapia). My main veggie is asparagus. My carbs are oatmeal in the morning and sweet potato after that. I’m not hungry at all… but my palette is bored out of its mind. Food has become fuel.

Why am I doing this? Quite simply, to see if it’s necessary. I want to compare last weekend to this weekend. Will it make a difference if I eat more like everyone else the week before a competition? Only ~~my abs~~ time will tell!

The fascination with experimentation is what’s keeping me on track this week!

I almost feel like I should apologize for the repetitive nature of this WIAW. I am 4 days from my 4th figure competition. It’s the last one for a long while… I promise next week will be more interesting.

Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else delicious creations!

Breakfast:

I still start the day with my Aminos and ACV morning cocktail. I swear it’s more energizing than coffee.

Breakfast was oatmeal with a ton of cinnamon, honey, and pomegranate atop a homemade Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties. I really do love the turkey “sausage.” It’s something I would make in the off-season too – they’re a great clean, low-sodium alternative to the store-bought stuff.

As usual, I ate it in the car on the way to work. Turkey-oatmeal coffee mug parfait!

Mid-Morning Snack:

Surprise, surprise. Tilapia. I did add some variety with cucumbers, red bell pepper, and purple sweet potato chips (with cinnamon).

Lunch:

Fish variety at lunch – I had Perch with my asparagus. The asparagus I sautéed during food prep with shallots, garlic, lime juice, and herb. I’m really loving the perch – it’s super mild.

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Tilapia. Again. Added some variety in two ways: I used purple asparagus and I made it into ribbons! Purple asparagus is thicker, so it makes it a bit easier to shred into ribbons. Fuel can be fun. Ish.

Dinner:

Dinner was is my favorite treat – Sea Bass. It even makes asparagus taste better. Purple sweet potato is like dessert. I topped it with some nutritional yeast for a nutty accent.

Dessert:

It’s not really dessert anymore. Tilapia topped with a blend of Mexican spices and cucumber with salt-free mustard. Nom.

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I prepped all my food to take to Denver today for this weekend’s competition. Tilapia and curry-roasted asparagus are on tap for the plane. Others on the flight are going to love me. #sorryimnotsorry

Do you view food simply as fuel? Fun? Something else?

How do you keep it interesting in the kitchen?

Kentucky Muscle Weekend

November 11, 2013 By Laura

Body building has no finish line.

This is both inspiring and frustrating.

You work every day – like all goals in life – to be better than you were the day before. This past weekend’s competition, Kentucky Muscle, was the biggest one I’ve ever done. I didn’t place in the Top 5 (I came in 6th)… and while I knew I probably wouldn’t it was still a little disappointing.

Not going to lie… the “trophy” was a sword, and that just made me want to place more. Who doesn’t want a sword to display at home?!

What I am proud of is how I’ve progressed since my last show. This time around I had made gains and, more importantly, I felt better than I ever had before. This morning of the show I felt centered, confident, and ready to get one stage with my best package yet.

On stage, I wasn’t as uncomfortable as I’d been in the past. My posing still isn’t the best, but it’s better. I am confident enough to walk out with a smile, know I’m not going to fall over in my stripper heels, and look directly at each and every judge while I move through each pose (that part is maybe the hardest!).

Back stage was also fun. I met some new friends and had time to hang out with my House of Payne teammates. It’s a crowded space, but everyone made the best of it; I’m continually amazed by how kind other competitors are. I bummed rice cakes (which I’d forgotten) and goofed off with the girls in my class as we lined up to get on stage. I almost had them convinced to enter the stage doing the “walk like an egyptian” dance. 😉

You may recognize my partner-in-crime, Lisa, from my last show and birthday trip to Napa. Hannah, the blonde in the picture below, won overall Physique!

The best part is always the meal afterwards. We didn’t finish until almost midnight, but that didn’t stop our group from heading to a local late-night pizza spot. See the pizza on the top right below? I ate the entire thing. With a Kentucky bourbon barrel beer. And a peanut butter Oreo (which are fantastic, btw).

My trainer and I stopped at a local brunch sport, Toast, on the way out of town for one final indulgence before I got back on the wagon foe next weekend’s show. We split some #yolkporn served on toasted brioche with harissa hot sauce and bacon, and a fantastically decadent bread pudding pancake served with a blend of warm rum raisin syrup and Irish crème sauce. Sugar coma heaven.

Last, but certainly not least, I was especially excited to see Brittany! She lives nearby and came to hang out between after pre-judging and for the night show. Seeing one of my favorite Blends made the waiting game so much easier. She is hilarious and kept my trainer and I laughing the entire time.

Thank you, Brittany!!! I can’t tell you how much seeing a familiar face helps!

I’ll do a longer recap after next week’s Colorado show. I spent the few hours after I got home grocery shopping and meal prepping to make it through a crazy week of work, workouts, and travel. Lisa and I are headed to compete with the lovely Heather in her bikini debut at the end of the week!

I hope you all have a marvelous start to the week!

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That’s the short and sweet recap… I’m about to fall asleep. Thank you all so much for the tweets, texts, comments on last week’s posts (I swear I’ll catch up one day), Facebook, and Instagram. It meant the world!

Do you view your goals as a progression, or is there a finish line?

What would be your “treat” food of choice after something like this? Heather just texted me with an amazing food idea for next weekend… woo hoo!

A Day of Food at 4 Days Out

November 6, 2013 By Laura

Change is often slow.

The bane of my impatient existence.

Change does come to those who stay the course. When I started training for competitions I had some muscle tone, but was underweight and had literally run my ass off. I posted about my journey here so I won’t rehash. What I will say (again) is that there is NOTHING you can’t accomplish with hard work and the unwavering belief that you can do anything you want to if you want to badly enough.

Yes, I’m still small for Figure; I know I have a long way to go. This weekend’s show is the most competitive one I’ve ever done and I know I won’t place. That doesn’t lessen my excitement to have the experience, and to be around so many inspiring competitors. AND – regardless of the outcome – I’m pretty damn proud of this progress in about a year and a half.

Competing isn’t easy. Some days I don’t want to get up and do cardio or eat healthy food or hear snarky comments from people… but it is worth it. The good days and the personal satisfaction outweigh the bad.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: find something you’re passionate about and go do it to the fullest extent. It could be running, lifting, painting, writing code… whatever! You will be more fulfilled and SO MUCH happier – it has made all the difference for me.

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Enough inspirational mush! This WIAW I am 4 days from my 3rd figure competition! Bring on the lean protein, complex carbs, and yes… the asparagus.

Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else delicious creations!

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