It may seem strange to travel to another country and stay with someone you don’t know.
I didn’t hesitate.
Lucie was so kind to open up her home to me for the first leg of my travels. It was funny – I didn’t really occur to me that I didn’t know her in real life until someone commented that it was brave on both our parts to plan to spend this time together. Thankfully it went off without a problem! (I think… Lucie will have to tell her side of the story. ;))
Fresh off the boat… I mean train…
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Wasting food is one of the 7 deadly sins in my house.
There are starving children in Africa!
Before leaving to go out of town I make it my personal mission to eat everything perishable in my house. If it’s not eaten before I leave, it’s eaten on the road. I’ve done a couple of travel food posts before; while I’m not in competition mode this trip I still would rather have my own food from home than eat nasty airport food. I’d also rather not pay a ton of money for nasty airport food. That money is better spent on chocolate and wine in Europe!
Often people are surprised by the food I bring through security. You CAN bring food! Just avoid the liquid.
Pro Tip #1: Protein powder will not be mistaken for cocaine.
Pro Tip #2: If you freeze yogurt, it’s a solid!
This WIAW is a crazy mix of leftovers. I’m not even going to try to separate it into meals!
Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s delicious creations!…
Change is inevitable.
Except from vending machines.
One of my favorite policies it to change something that isn’t working. If you aren’t happy, make a change. Don’t sit around in a puddle of mud complaining about how dirty you are. That knight in shining armor isn’t going to show up on a unicorn and rescue you.
Incidentally, my unicorn name is Helleborine Cheeky Rump.
I realized my job wasn’t the right one for me… so I’m making a change! More on that to come. In the meantime, I’m taking a little break. The best kind of break – I’ll be traveling to Switzerland next week! The wonderful Lucie has offered to be my guide. I am SO EXCITED to meet her in person and have some adventures. She’s already living up to her blog name (Fit Swiss Chick) – we’re booked for hiking, running, and cross fit!
Naturally, I needed to make some purchases for my travels. DSW and TJ Maxx are full of deals right now… I probably spent too much but think of how much I saved! LOL!
This WIAW is week 3 working through my intolerances per my Alcat test. I’ve been pretty good about it and still happy with the results… but I’m not going to Switzerland without eating cheese. #sorryimnotsorry
Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s delicious creations!…
Traveling can be quite strange.
Especially with a strange co-worker.
My co-worker is strange in the best way possible – the food-loving way! I’ve been gone all week so there is no recipe today. I do have pictures though! Here is the best of San Deigo:
Sambazon acai bowl
BBQ Tempeh Pizza
Egg spring roll (I think) at Phuong Trang
Pork and Shrimp Cakes
Craft food heaven at Urban Solace
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How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week? The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.
Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂
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If I lived here, I’d be 500 lb and super happy.
Do you try new things when to travel?
Any must-trys in California?
I like to move.
Some call it ADD, some call it energy.
I’ve been known to make my own standing desk out of empty boxes, but I’ve always wanted a treadmill desk. My company isn’t likely to spring for that anytime soon, so I took matters into my own hands.
This was in my condo gym on a work-from-home day. I stacked one of the step up things on top of the treadmill bars and off I went!
I kept the speed super slow and was able to read, talk, and type with no problem. It actually helped me be more focused! If only we had a treadmill at the office!!!
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Speaking of moving… this WIAW I am in LA. (California, not Lower Alabama.) I didn’t do an epic food prep like I have in the past since it’s a building year… and I’m in Cali. The food here rocks! I brought some basics and winged the rest. It was delish!
Portland, it’s a good think you’re tasty.
And sunny. Yes, I said sunny.
A belly full of warm food and a sunny, blue sky is the only way I survived this arctic weekend. My little sister, Alli, moved to Portland a few years ago and I hadn’t had the occasion to visit. Apparently they hit record lows the couple of days I finally decided to pop in. It was so cold my teeth hurt.
This was my view coming in:
The snow did melt, and the sun came out to stay! The first order of business was to eat. Alli collected me from the airport and we went right to Tasty ‘n Sons where we ordered everything #yolkporn we could find….
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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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
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.
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… 
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.)
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!
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!
