How To Stay Motivated

Tips to Get Motivated & Stay Motivated

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Throughout my competition preps (which have been anywhere from 12-20 weeks) a reoccurring question that I have gotten is: “How do you stay motivated?”

The truth: I don’t. Some days I wake up ready to kick butt and excited to tackle the day with my glittery bikini in mind. Others—well, the idea of eating cold fish out of Tupperware on my lap in my car makes me cringe and my bed is so warm I don’t want to get up and even think about fasted cardio.

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So how do I make it through prep & stay consistent? (Because consistency is the key to achieving long-term goals.)

Here’s my list of tips:

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  1. Wake Up Early.

Waking up early sets the tone for your entire day. By getting up early, you actually have time to prepare a healthy breakfast- and are less likely to settle for a quick bagel. You’ll feel much more productive. Numerous studies have linked waking up early to success and productivity. Also, sleep experts suggest that when you go to bed early and wake up early, you’re body is more in tune with earth’s circadian rhythms and you get a more restorative sleep. Waking up early also allows for getting in multiple meals a day, working out in the morning, and plenty of time to get down a gallon of water.

How do I start waking up early when I’m in the habit of sleeping until noon?

  • Prep for the morning the night before.
  • Get to bed early.
  • Start gradually, waking up earlier and earlier each morning.
  • Put your alarm clock far from your bed, forcing to get up to turn it off.
  • Do not snooze. Setting an alarm for 6 am and 6:30 is less effective than just a 6:30 am alarm. Don’t allow yourself to snooze!
  • Get moving. Make a deal with yourself that you will get up and walk around your house for 5 minutes before deciding to go back to bed. Chances are- you will be much less likely to go back to bed.

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  1. Set an encouraging picture as the background of your phone. ^^^^

My motivational pic? My lock screen is a picture of myself, unflattering angle, most out of shape picture of myself I own. My home screen is a motivational picture. Either my goal body found on Tumblr or a picture of myself in competition shape.

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  1. Post motivational quotes in view.

Take time to find quotes that really reach you during a motivated moment and write them on sticky notes. Put those sticky notes places where you may need them most e.g. the bathroom mirror or the kitchen door. Washing your face before the gym and choosing your food are two places where seeing “Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow” and “I believe in the person that I want to be” can come in handy.
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  1. Always have your meals prepared.

Fail to plan- plan to fail. If you have your meals prepped and packed, not only are you cheating yourself by eating other food- but I am way less likely to waste fresh cooked flounder and cave on a burger. There are starving people in this world!! You’re going to eat the food you paid for and took the time to cook.

  1. Tell people what you are doing.

Tell your parents, tell your friends, be that person to check in at the gym every morning on Facebook (WARNING: YOU MAY LOSE FRIENDS.) Accountability. That is what this is about.

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  1. Keep a Calendar.

I hang a calendar on my wall specifically for prep. I have my 20 weeks outlined and I cross off days as I go. Each week I put a sticker on the top of my calendar. Seeing that you have 5 stickers makes you feel more accomplished than thinking your only 5 weeks in.

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  1. Reward yourself.

Not with food! But think Lululemon & Nike. Each week I make through prep means a new pair of lulu leggings or a new pair of sneakers. 20 weeks= 20 gifts.

8. Write down what you eat! 

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Allie’s Progress & MY SECOND CLIENT EVER!

OKAY. So I hope everyone remembers the massive success of my first client, Allie Rackliff, in changing her lifestyle and losing a whopping 60 lbs and keeping it off! I just wanted to give a brief update on her progress. Allie continues to implement the practices of her diet regime by controlling her portions and eating clean. She rarely and I mean RARELY cheats her diet and has found great balance in her life along the way. She plans to tighten up the diet a big again and start the process all over again from the beginning, while guiding her coworkers towards healthier lifestyles as well. She has been making me proud for sure!

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Now, the second client (my second client ever) is whom I want to highlight in this blog post. I was contacted by Katie Tompkins in reply to my Facebook status about needing guinea pigs to see if I had what it takes to effectively coach and transform peoples’ lifestyles.

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Katie began the diet with slightly less enthusiasm than Allie’s diehard commitment, and opened up to me about her emotional struggle with an eating disorder. As the diet commenced Katie felt good but felt as though her progression was slower than it should be. (Many girls feel this way in the beginning of the program because the change in diet may cause bloating and results are not immediate). On a few occasions Katie confessed to binge eating and cheating the diet. I saw her desperation for change in her fierce determination to stay on the exercise program and knew her struggles with eating in the past so i encouraged her to give it another chance. With encouragement and time, Katie began seeing changes and it was as if that fueled her fire not to cheat and to push harder. Katie’s changes were extremely impressive considering how much she cheated in the beginning, because she pushed so hard the last few weeks.

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Overall, I am very proud of Katie. She lost a total of 20 lbs and looks overall healthier, happier, and glows!

Here’s what Katie had to say about her experience:

Before Jenny’s diet plan, I wasn’t out of shape, but I also wasn’t in great shape. I was always pretty chunky as a kid and always knew I was overweight, but it didn’t bother me until I got to high school. My relationship with the gym started when I was 16 but a very unhealthy relationship developed along with it. I had become obsessed with the way that I looked. I was undereating which was making me over eat and then I got into a bad habit of purging. I was diagnosed with bulimia and struggled with it for over 6 years. I went to the gym everyday thinking that if I did 2 hours of strictly cardio that would help me lose a bunch of weight and solve all my problems but people don’t realize that 85% of losing weight is a good balanced diet and that’s what Jenny helped me realize! I’d be lying if I said it was easy. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cheat through this diet. I was open and honest with Jenny when I did cheat and she helped me work through it. I completed the diet and lost 20 lbs total. I have control over my bulimia and I stopped “dieting”. I don’t believe in diets anymore. I believe in living a healthy lifestyle. I learned a lot about myself in the process and continue to learn more everyday.”

Katie’s story is overwhelmingly impressive and shows that the path to success is not always a straight line. She struggled and overcame her bad relationship with food and is living healthier and happier than ever now. Thanks for reading!

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How to Pick a League (ANBF vs. NPC)

The Difference Between Leagues in Competitive Bodybuilding

In today’s post I want to explain the difference between leagues in bodybuilding competitions.

It’s crazy how little is written on this topic readily available online. When I began competing I thought every bikini competition was the same thing.

This is not even close to true. Leagues are different competitions held by different organizations for competitive bodybuilding. Each organization follows a different format, has different rules and regulations, and has pros and cons to participation.

I am not entirely knowledgeable on the widespread list of organizations because there really are SO many leagues. I will discuss the two leagues that I have competed in.

The First League I want to discuss is the NPC or National Physique Committee.

-This organization is the most popular of all leagues in competitive bodybuilding.

-This is the organization associated with the Olympia and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

-This is also the largest organization for amateur bodybuilding.

-The NPC is the amateur extension of the IFBB (international federation of bodybuilding.) What this means is after winning an NPC competition a competitor may continue on to compete in the IFBB.

-The NPC is also not drug tested, and many of the competitors use steroids.

-The NPC features classes such as Bodybuilding, Bikini, Fitness, Figure, Men’s Physique, and Women’s Physique.

-To join the league there is a yearly $120 membership fee known as your “NPC card”

-Many people look down on leagues outside of the NPC as less legitimate, and sometimes judges discredit competitors that may compete in other leagues.

The second league that I want to discuss is the ANBF.

-The ANBF (American Natural Bodybuilding Federation) is an all natural organization

-This is a brand new league. Here is their mission statement taken from anbfnatural.com:

“The American Natural Bodybuilding Federation’s main focus will be to standardize the promotions of natural bodybuilding competitions.  By accomplishing this, the competitors, audience, vendors, and anybody else involved will have a more enjoyable experience and leave with an awesome impression of what they just saw.   In order for an organization to be customer friendly with great service to go along with a great product it must have structure.  The ANBF will be set up in a corporate structure (president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary).  The ANBF will also have a representative appointed for each division such as bodybuilding, pro bodybuilding, master’s bodybuilding, physique, and figure and bikini.  These reps will be there to listen and/or address grievances and questions and to also update the divisions on any new programs or pertinent information.  The ANBF will also have a Judging Director.  That person will be responsible for the training and recruitment of a pool of judges that will be available to judge at any ANBF shows.  They will be required to meet specific standards before they are allowed to sit on a panel and have their scores counted.  No conflict of interest will be allowed, including nepotism, client relationships, etc…

The ANBF also wants to have uniform pricing throughout its shows.  All entry fees and ticket prices will be consistent from one show to the next, including coaches passes.  We want as many of a competitor’s friends and family there as possible and we don’t want to make anybody dig into their life savings to do it.  And the last thing we want to happen is for a competitor to say that they can’t do a show because the entry fee is too expensive.

On the flip side of pricing, all promoters who are holding a pro class must post their minimum payout on their fliers, not the max payout which is very deceiving.  When this happens it is very discouraging for the pro athlete and it will make them have a bad taste in their mouth about the promoter and the organization itself.

The ANBF will be a 100% drug tested organization via polygraph for a period of 6 years and will also be backed up by random urinalysis.  The ANBF will also be implementing off season random urinalysis.  All pros that have competed in an ANBF show and all amateurs who have qualified to be a pro will be subject to this as well.  This is a very exciting step for the ANBF and we are very excited about it and it should be very encouraging news for the competitors.

The ANBF is opening up a brand new page in natural bodybuilding.   It will no longer be the show is only as good as the promoter.  The new standard will be the show is only as good as the organization and whether you are competing, coaching, judging, spectator or a vendor at an American Natural Bodybuilding Federation event, you know it will be an efficient, fair, and enjoyable experience for all involved!

We are looking forward to our first year of competition.  Good luck to everybody in 2013!”

-My experience competing in the ANBF was extremely positive. I took first place in my class.

-I enjoyed the straight through format of the show despite the fact that it was still a very long day.

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-I felt that the promoters were much more considerate of the competitors than the NPC promoters were. The judging felt more elaborate. Stage time was more fair. There were fresh flowers for all first place winners. The quality of the trophies were nice. They had pizza and Gatorade and waters for all competitors backstage.

-competing in ANBF was overall less costly.

I would recommend trying both and deciding which you prefer!