So fresh & so clean since a year ago!!

So I finally logged in to this blog after being away from it for a year. Ive logged in since Ive last posted but Ive hesitated posting everytime. Id just delete what I had written and went about my day. I guess I just didnt know what to say. Most of my posts since I started this blog were about my progression as a figure competitor. After I won the Cal last year ( my division ) I had a lot of things happen in my life. Some good & some bad. I lost my job, I got married and had a baby. What is this life I now call my own. Its totally different is what it is! In a bad way, OF COURSE NOT. Challenging... you can count on it. If you know me personally, or you just know me through the words I post on this blog site, you know, I accept challenges. I sometimes accept them with open arms, sometimes with much hesitation and procrastination but I eventually Accept them & take them over one day at a time.

Now signfies that time in my life. I feel this blog helped me when I was striving for the perfection of the stage. I noticed an old cheer buddy had her mommy blog & I thought that was cool as well. I figured I'll start back up with my blog and give an inside look at being a mom, wife & trying to get back into fitness and even work! I had no idea how difficult it was going to be, but I can do it with Gods help, I will do it!

So I got married October 10,2010 to the love of my life, Dionisio Ramirez Jr. We met at a local gym here in Indio, CA at a kickboxing class. He was actually my instructor! haha I remember those classes, working extra hard to try and impress him. IM not sure if he noticed... but Im guessing b.c I got the ring, that he did. :) Shortly before our wedding we found out that we were expecting a baby! I remember getting my dress in July sometime. Telling the lady how much weight I could loose & that we'd need to take it in a lot. Then going back for my first fitting in September& telling her, Ummm please dont cut any more b.c I just found out we were expecting! the sweet old lady jumped up and gave me a huge hug. It was really precious. It was a month before the wedding & I was so nervous to tell Dion that we were going to be parents & newlyweds all at the same time! He was happy as can be and told me not to worry.

Fast forwarding a few months... May 2nd we finally went into the hospital to deliever. It was a surreal experience to say the least. The amount of books I read, magazines I bought & people I talked to couldnt have prepared me for the month that followed. It was by far the hardest of my life. Im not sure about other moms, but I didnt fall in love with her right away. I didnt know if I was a terrible person for feeling that way or if it was normal. It was just odd. Its just like meeting a new person for the first time. You dont know how you feel about them yet, you know you need to love them b.c its your child, but you dont feel the instant love I didnt think. The first month was hard for me & I know it was hard for my husband. Your body goes through so many changes, you have your ideas of whats going to happen & its nothing like youve heard or planned. You cry for no reason & you cry often. You badly want to get back into the gym, but you havent slept in weeks. It was a whirlwind that I couldnt help but think what did I get myself into!

Fast forward another month, or month & a half. Here I am, cant take my eyes off this little miracle that God has blessed us with. Her perfect little features. The way she holds my figure when shes trying to fall asleep. The way she snuggles up real close to me when we take a nap & Oh the way she smiles and laughs at me like Im the funniest most amazing person in her world. I thought I knew what love was before, but there is nothing that can compare to the love a person will have for their own flesh and blood. The crying fades into smiles that produce happy tears. The no sleep for weeks turns into no sleep for a few hours at night & the worry about how you look, well it took awhile for that to fade, I still have moments where I want to sit and cry about it but thats when I realized:

Life is about more than the way you look. Granted being healthy & keeping fitness a major player in my life will always be there and I will gain muscle back and loose fat. Here I am, weighing the same as I did when I got pregnant. My stomachs flat, no I dont have a 6pack & yes I now have a high body fat percentage but I just had a child 2.5 months ago lol I Look great! hahaha... Im finally coming to terms with things in my life and realizing that I focused too much on the way I looked. When what I really needed to focus on was the way I felt inside. See when you focus on the way you feel everything else falls into place without a blink of an eye. But when I constantly beat myself up in my head and downgrade myself by saying such negative things I always stay in that negative mind set & my body follows.

This next chapter in my life is going to be focused on bringing God back into the center of my life. Without him, nothing is possible. Making getting lean my God only left me with feeling empty inside and I ballooned back up everytime I didnt have a competition ( ballooning to me is gaining 20lbs nothing crazy) I held myself to such a ridiculous level of expectations that I have since tore down. Im realizing that God will put everything into place once you seek him. I know without him my marriage will not last, without him, I will not be the mother I want or the woman I strive to be. After I focus on that, everything is becoming easier. I want to workout bc it makes me feel good. I no longer think I HAVE to workout to get my body back, it will come. I need to embrace and most importantly ENJOY MY LIFE!!!! Why was I spending hours and hours thinking about a tiny bit of fat here or there or thinking I had to workout 1 more hour b.c I ate 10 extra almonds that day. LIfe isnt meant to be lived like that. But I wouldnt change my past in any way shape or form. I have learned soooo much its crazy. Im happy to be where I am today. I have a wonderful man in my life after all the years I thought marriage was a joke and all men are pathetic liars. I now have a gorgeous baby girl when at one point I thought I would never have kids. I have so much mroe to learn & I cant wait to do it. Im going to experience life, appreciate all things that are given to me because God is amazing and has blessed me with another day on this earth.

If I could give one thing of advice to whoever is actually still reading this far into this post lol... I would say stop and say thanks. Say thanks for all you have now. Stop focusing on what you dont have & take a min to think about what you do. I know you will be overcome with joy once you realize how fullfilling your life already is. :)

Im going to continue to post here about my journey into motherhood, fitness, being a wife and becoming a better person. Im sure they all wont be as long lol but I will keep posting and I hope you keep reading.

:)

1st place, Vegas adventure & bad cough

well well well it has come and gone! Im finally finished with the CAL figure competition! I finished 1st in my class & went on to loose the overall to Heather from class D I believe. She looked amazing & is another client of Gina's. It was great to get to know some of the girls backstage! Meygan from Class E ( I believe) was such a sweetheart. Between her, Heather & myself we made the backstage area a time of laughs and new friendships. Congrats to all that competed everyone looked so great it was crazy! Huge BIkini classes as well.... who knew that division would take off like it did. They said that about figure though back in 2003. Im excited to now have JR CAL 1st place & CAL 1st place!!!!!!!! damn what an honor!

My family came out from the midwest to cheer me on. It felt so amazing to have friends and family surrounding me and cheering me on as I went on stage this year. Also in the audience was my fiance Dionisio. Overall I had such an amazing time!!

I came out of that weekend with a 1st place, 2 new friends & a warm fuzzy feeling I wouldnt trade for the world. Thank you to all who have followed me through this and continue to do so as I climb the figure latter one rep at a time.

Now for future plans..... Ive been taking some time off ( about a week & 1/2) My friends from nebraska came out & we had a week full of drinks, yummy foods & not a care in the world. Once I got back home after our party sessions I became ill!!! Im still sick. Got awful cough and all stuffed up. I decided to push through and continue with my competition schedule.

Im planning on stepping on stage at the USA's in July. I qualified for nationals so Im going to take advantage of it and see how I place amoungst the best in the world. It will be the biggest, toughest competition ive done so far but Im excited and ready to get my feet wet in VEGAS!!!!!

As of now Its time to get back into the gym. Im finally back to about 75% as far as feeling good goes so Im back to the gym and training. I have some weight to take off from the week off as well as being sick but Im sure I'll be able to get it together by July 30th!! I cannot wait.

Here are some pics from the show and vegas. I love you all, thank you for your support.

Max Muscle Spot Proof

4 weeks out and couting!

Hey hey hey!! Guess it's been quite a long time since Ive blogged on here! Ive been slacking.

About 2 weeks ago I actually headed to Vegas and made a few mistakes. There was a couple days that I didn't workout & ate pretty bad. Had drinks, turkey burgers, etc. It wasnt the greatest thing ever.....

Im back home now and back on track. I honestly feel a little behind but I think the last four weeks I should be able to pull it off and come down a little quicker. With the added MMA training and possibly a couple extra classes here and there I should be able to get something done.

7 weeks out & counting

Happy Sunday Everyone!!

this week was pretty good, Id have to say. I didnt get in 100% of everything on my plan as far as cardio goes but I did finish with the right amount just in different forms. This week was heavier on the MMA training and I kinda slipped some of those in instead of hitting the cardio equiptment.

Monday: Bi's Tris & Glutes 60 min of stairmill 1 hour of Kickboxing and 1 hour of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
Tuesday: Shoulders & Calves, 1 hour of BJJ 40 min stairmill 25 min stairmill & 5 min on bike
Wednesday: 30 min stairmill 30 min eliptical 15 min bike
THursday: Legs 40 min stairmill 25 min stairmill
Friday: 1 hour of kickboxing, 1 hour of kickboxing 30 min stairmill
Saturday: 1 hour of BJJ shoulders & hamstrings, 30 min on stairmill & 30 min on stairmill.

Feeling great today. Its high fat day which is my favorite so I will be on cloud 9 today eating my natural peanut butter and almond butter. today I have to get in 80 min of cardio plus 20 bike sprints. I'll probably get in 40 min then 10 sprints and go back later to finish the rest or hit the track for some sprints and the rest of my cardio. I love trackworkouts to get me sweating and get outside for a natural stride. :) I updated Gina today with pictures so we will see what is in store for next week!!!

6 Weeks out tomorrow!!!

Im 6 weeks out tomorrow! Time is flying by. I cannot believe Im so close. I dunno what it is but after 6 weeks out it flashes before your eyes.

This week has been filled with kick ass workouts and yummy foods. I had another MINOR slip up but it was with clean foods just too many of them at the wrong time. Im still on track and ready to turn it up yet another notch as it gets closer.

Kickboxing classes have been amazing this week. Ive gotten in 2 so far. My avg calorie burn during those is around 400. Its such a great workout but its causing my heart to be more conditioned. Regular cardio now is very difficult to get my heart rate higher than 140!! I used to be able to hit that so fast. Now I got to turn that treadmill up to 15 incline at 4.6 MPH to even get that thing to jump! Ive been doing mostly the fat burner mode on the stairmill. I love that thing! I can feel my glutes getting tighter and I can feel!

I got a call from LA INK the TV show for a tattoo design Ive wanted for a long time. It goes with my key. I have an on camera interview monday and then we go from there to see if I can be on the show, so thats EXCITING!! I'll post pictures from LA ;) I wanna try and go to Golds Venice & Train. So we shall see.

7 weeks or so out....

Happy Tuesday everyone!! Hope you're all doing well and started your week off right! Im coming up on 7 weeks out. I had 2 mishaps over the weekend! ahaha... I thought I could handle munching on just a couple pieces of the Chocolate Trail mix with yogurt covered raisins. I thought wrong, 4 handfuls in I was like " What am I doing!!!!" I could feel the sugar hit my body fast. I started to fill out and see veins that were flat just 30 min before. I went straight to the gym to train shoulders & get in my 60 min of cardio. It was a really really good workout...hahaha... Then on Easter I had a few sugar cookies.

Aside from my minor slip ups, I am now on track. I sent updates to Gina yesterday. She was very pleased with how well I was progressing. Im feeling a lot better & cant wait to see whats next!




Now cardio's on the rise. EOD 60 min the other days 80 min. plus the added MMA training of 1 BJJ class, 3 Kickboxing and 2 sets of 10 bike Sprints!

Yesterday I woke up and headed into BJJ at 8am after grabbing a protein shake and oatmeal. Right after BJJ I went to do kickboxing and get one out of the way. It felt so good to knock out 2 requirements for the week right off the bat on a Monday morning. Its weird, Ive always loved Mondays. NO LIE. I love the start of a new week. Its such a refreshing feeling. After class I headed home to down meal #2 and return some emails.

I went to the gym around 5 to hit bi's, tri's & 60 min of cardio.

I made D some dinner and munched on it as well. But my main dinner was shrimp with tomatoes, cilantro & green onions. I made him some lean beef stir fry with grilled peppers and teriyaki soy sauce. Even though I only ate a couple bites I can feel the sodium today. I think I'll hit up BJJ tonight in hopes of shedding some of this excess water weight. I always feel soo much better after class. It gives me a lot more than steady cardio does. There's nothing like feeling your body being pushed harder than ever.

This morning I got in 40 min of cardio on the stairmill ( well actually 37.5 min) Im really trying to not let a few min here or there effect my thinking this time around. I really want to prove to myself and other that a contest prep can be fun and not always a life or death situation if you dont get in EXACTLY 40 min to the T. Its silly to let things like that cloud your mind and consume your every thought!! LIFE IS TOO SHORT!!!! Of course its tough sometimes, but I told myself this time around I'm not going to have a stressful prep. SO FAR< SO GOOD!!!!

Motivation is something I constantly seek. Everyone needs to be inspired, motivated & even pushed. Lately Im finding strength in others encouraging words, Gina's voice of reason & even from some of my clients and even people in the MMA Scene.

I think MMA athletes & bodybuilders have a similar mindset. We both train for one specific day, hour, min to showcase what we've worked so hard for the previous months leading up to that day. We both need to watch our nutrition and push our bodies further than we once thought possible.

I really admire and look up to theses athletes. Not only do they have to deal with high intensity training, but they diet on top of it, have to face an opponent one on one & have the possibility of Defeat. Its what they do with that feeling of defeat that makes the difference.
Champions across any sport all have one common denominator. DRIVE! They have the drive to beat the competition, the DRIVE to beat the athlete they were the day before, the DRIVE to inspire and the DRIVE to overcome obstacles, coming out stronger and more prepared!! There's one in my life that really inspires me to push harder, push past the pain I might feel during a set, push past the feeling of not wanting to go finish my training for the day & push through the negative thoughts that somtimes cross my mind. He keeps me going & I'm so blessed that God had our paths cross. I'm not used to having someone that believes in me, that pushes me day in and day out without even saying a word, to become the best person I can. IN & OUTSIDE of the gym. He reminds me that I Can and I WILL do what I have my mind set to doing and the ONLY person that stops that from happening is ME. I think the more positive thoughts I flood my mind with the better my workouts have become, the stronger my mind has become and the easier it is to get through my days. So happy to see the next! Thanks for the inspiration and above all belief in me. It means more than I can express. I wont disapoint.

Well Im excited for today. I have 40 min of cardio left tonight after I train shoulders, calves and abs. Im going to try and get into train some BJJ tonight after my weight training.

Have an awesome rest of the week! and thanks for reading up on my progress. :)