Hello FitnessRx readers!
Well, this has been an exciting couple of weeks for me! I competed in the 2014 Ms. Bikini Olympia and was crowned the champion. A week later, I headed over to South Korea to compete again, and took first there as well. Now that all of the excitement is over, I decided to take a week break from the gym. I think breaks are good for the body and mind.
Let me tell you, when I did go back into the gym, I felt stronger and more motivated than ever! The time off definitely did my body some good. I also allowed myself a few days of a more relaxed diet, enjoying little things that I couldn’t have during contest prep. The first treat I had when I arrived back in the states was a Dunkin Donuts Iced Pumpkin Latte. It was so delicious!
After a few days of indulging on a few off meals, it was time to get back on a more consistent and regular diet. I am currently about eight weeks out from my next show, the Russian Pro Bikini show, held in Moscow. I have never been to Russia, so I am excited to travel there! I love that this sport gives me the opportunity to travel to places that I have never been to before. I get to see the world and make friends who share the same passion as me.
Every time I travel overseas, I have to adapt to the food situation. Some of these countries will have strict food policies— for instance, sometimes you cannot bring any food inside their country. I always research beforehand. If this is the case, then I have to go grocery shopping as soon as I arrive. I love grocery shopping in other countries! I think it is so cool to see what foods they have that we don’t, and how they package and label everything.
For the plane ride, I often find myself bringing chicken packets (you could bring tuna too, but I do not eat fish), Gaspari Nutrition Isofusion protein powder, dry oats, rice cakes, nuts and other foods that are healthy and slow to perish to get me by till the plane lands. You are allowed to bring your own (fresh) food on the plane, but keep in mind that on long flights it will spoil. There are a few things you can do to help keep it fresh, such as freezing the food, or you can have the flight attendant fill your cooler up with ice (yes, they can do that for you!). I do bring a few fresh meals with me, the amount depends on how long my flights and layovers are. I usually buy a healthy grilled chicken salad from the airport before I board the plane as well.
Now that I am transitioning back into my in-season training and diet, I will slowly add in HIIT cardio sessions. I am doing about two per week right now, but as I get closer I will get to about four to five. Also, I will slowly decrease the amount of carbohydrates that I am consuming. I have found that my body responds better on a lower carbohydrate diet. Right now, I am eating about three to four servings of carbohydrates per day. The one thing that doesn’t change for me whether I am in-season or off-season is the amount of weight training that I do. I usually train with weights about five days per week.
Thank you for reading and I will keep you guys posted!
