DC Completed...now on to Universe!

Whew! It's been a busy couple of weeks! The Washington DC Bikini Universe Capitol show went very well. I didn't get last place and I didn't fall down on stage...actually, I placed 7th/12 in my height division. For being my very first competition I am very pleased.

The show was actually fun after I had a bit of an emotional melt-down right after my first walk on stage. It was as though all of what I had practiced was there but the overwhelm of the lights, audience, action and chaos made me a bit shaky. Then, I listened to some worship music and my second walk was a lot better! In the end it was a great release and a very fun experience...the Savage team is amazing and so REAL!

LOVED going to the Cheesecake Factory that night! Nachos, chips, chips, more chips, crispy crab wontons and some outrageous dessert. Thought I would be sick but I wasn't. I felt fabulous and my abs actually "popped" while we were standing outside the restaurant afterward waiting for the valet parking guy...go figure!

Next, we (myself, Shawn, Aiden and Alynn) took an awesome mini-vacation to the beach to catch up on some much needed focused family bonding time...it was amazing. Turned the cell phone off and put the fun hat on! I walked on the beach alone right after the sun came up each day and had long talks with God. I've been walking through a lot of temptation...experiencing some tests that determine which roads I am going to take with my fitness modeling career. Undeniably, his voice is heard and I know that I am meant to stay all natural and use my testimony to help other women...especially young women. It was so nice to take a break and I would really be suffering right now if we had not.

It's a push right now as Universe is 24 days away and I have a photo shoot with Lisa Brewer next Monday. But... my priorities are in a great place. I feel very grounded as a few of the other competitors and I have been doing a weekly bible study to keep our hearts and minds focused on God through this process. Because, in the end...

1 Peter 1:24-25
"All flesh is like grass, And all of man's glory like the flower in the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls; But the Lord's word endures forever." This is the word of good news which was preached to you.

God Bless you and have a fabulous day!
Angela Sweet

Salad and a Straw- Hell Week Day #1

I am not calling it Hell week anymore because I am convinced that it will produce HEAVENLY results...so let's call it..."THE TEST." And, I am passing. I'm hungry. Down to the wire...

I am sodium loading, water loading and carb depleting this week...which means that for three days I do two/day workouts on only vegetables and heavily salted proteins. They taste great- with salty rubs/ marinades and I top it all of by drinking at least 1.5 gallons of water each day. Today it was over two!

I am incredibly blessed because I am being assisted in my workouts every day this week by different friends. This is a great time to call for help because I feel like I am running on fumes during my workouts and it's a mental battle. The social pressure and support is priceless.

A great friend of mine also had a terrible thing happen to her little girl this past week...the kind of health crisis that opens your eyes and helps to put things in perspective. My heart has gone out to her this week and it's been a constant reminder to stay grounded, and appreciative of every single moment I am given.

So, I may be drinking the left over balsamic vinegar at the bottom of my salad bowl trying to satisfy my appetite, but inside my heart is content with all that God has given me.

Angela Sweet

READY FOR "HELL" Week

Next week is the pre-show hell-week. I'm actually excited for it. I tend to hold a lot of water...so this is the time that I start seeing major muscle separations. I'll post pictures. Let's get this show on the road already! Cooked for four hours today and am prepped for the next week and show. Ahh, feels good.

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another." Walter Elliott

God Bless You!
Ang

Balancing Act

It's 8 days before the show and I am feeling very emotional. One moment I am excited...prepared, and proud of this journey. Other times I feel very sad, sluggish and frustrated. This is known to happen during this week due to the increase in training an decrease in carbs. I'm just figuring out how to "deal" with it. It would be so much easier to eat and be merry...but I know that's not the right choice.

I feel sorry for Shawn because I am "wasted" as he calls it...at the end of the day I have nothing left. I am glad this is almost over and I can have some energy to love him more. I can't help but feel like I have failed him. I just can't be 100% for everyone all the time. I think I have PMS right now.

Ugh. I am tired of listening to myself. Going to bed.

Ang

MAKING PROGRESS! Yes!

It was one of the worst days ever! I actually cried right before my second workout today. This has been a tough, TOUGH starch rotation.

But, after taking my check-in photos tonight I am pleased. Every time I push through a hard day like this my body changes in a positive way.

I'm still pushing! I will finish strong!
Angela

"First we form habits, then they form us. Conquer your bad habits or they will conquer you."
Rob Gilbert

19 Days until DC show

It's getting closer and I am actually excited. I am working hard but not stressing out. My workouts have changed dramatically and now I am doing cardio sometimes twice/ day in preparation for the show. The last month of this process is the hardest and I am hanging in there. The most difficult part is pushing through challenging workouts with no starchy carbohydrates. I am on a 2/0/1/0 starch rotation right now...meaning one day I can have two starches and the rest is one fruit and all proteins/ vegetables. The next day zero starches, 1 fruit and proteins/ veggies...and so on. I feel like I have eaten a forest full of peppers, broccoli, onions, mushrooms, asparagus and celery...oh, all main veggies have to be green right now.

At times I am elated- feeling pleased with the progress I have made and excited about the future days to come. This process has helped me become more focused and better at managing my time.

But, other times I want to scream, divorce the gym and all of it's natural partners- including sports bras, running shoes, ipods and workout clothes...and throw my face into my husband's yellow cake with chocolate frosting birthday cake that I had someone make at Walmart so that I didn't have to.

I told myself that I would be honest in this blog. so I am going to honor that promise. I am fighting my flesh daily right now and it is hard. But, I know without a shadow of a doubt this is exactly where I am supposed to be right now and I see the trickle effect it is having within the studio.

It is OKAY to reach! To push beyond your percieved limitations. To stop making excuses, get up and move on. It hurts. At time it makes me angry when my body "doesn't want to" do what I need it to do...but the more times I take just one more step during those moments of physical resistance and mental struggle- the HIGHER the threshold becomes! God is so great. SO much greater than our minds can perceive and when he gives you a dream and a vision it's so easy to "do it later..." and stay complacent in your comfortable place...waiting for the planets to align first before making a step. I've been in that place. I've planted a garden, and built a fence around that place as though I were going to stay in it forever.

The calling to lead has been a scary road. But, I love people and I feel an indescribable amount of joy when I see someone dare to leave their comfort zone, reach and evolve into a stronger, more balanced, empowered stuard of the beautiful body God gave them.

There are times when I see my team training people, but not just training...teaching- offering their whole hearts and the love of the Lord to thier clients and I am completely awstruck...humbled, without words by the amazing privelage I have been given...that the Lord has chosen me to be a connecting part in this beautiful community of positive change. I am such a sinner, broken but redeemed by the blood of Christ and used despite of my imperfections.

I started this process whining, but have come to realize how blessed I really am. The only way to lead, is by example. I am grateful.

Angela Sweet

Wow! It's been a while! All is very well. I made it through Easter and my monthly without binge eating on chocolate anything- that's a huge accomplishment in my book. Macro-nutrient breakdowns have been great daily. It's the FINAL four weeks before DC. A time when daily changes start to appear. The layer over my abs is decreasing and my back fat is going away. This is my trouble spot and the strict nutrition really pays off right about now. It's hard. But, I am certain that I will have visible abs by DC. I have to...my family and friends have made travel arrangements and bought tickets...I can't show up on stage in a bikini without doing the work. Ugh...I love to be challenged until it gets hard, then it's the "How bad do you want it" question and "What are you willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals" question that comes to mind. I want it bad and I will be the top fitness model for editorial advertisements in 2010. I am willing to temporarily sacrifice food indulgences and eat clean to make this happen. It's a done deal.

Today's macros:
131p/80c/31f

Workout: Savage Back/Rear Delts/Abs and 40 Minutes Cardio on Summit Machine with Push Up/ Squat Jumps/ Split Jump intervals worked in 3x

Practiced Walk for 15mins


"First we form habits, then they form us. Conquer your bad habits or they will conquer you."
Rob Gilbert

FunDay Sunday

Hit the gym hard for the first Sunday I have worked out in ages! I usually take Sundays off completely but have decided to switch my off day to Saturday. Enjoyed the break! Grilled out tonight with the family...mmm, chicken and sauteed asparagus for dinner! Managed to watch Shawn and the kids eat Hardees, Taco Bell, Cadbury eggs, oreos and strawberries (healthy but not allowed right now) this weekend without indulging in any of it. My vice has been coconut oil and almond butter mixed for my healthy fats of the day. Only problem is....I'm only supposed to have each once/week and I had it three times this week. So, it's gotta go. Being held by Lori Robins as of tomorrow. It could affect my progress so it's gotta go! My nutrition is a science right now and for the first time today I was able to grocery shop withut being one bit tempted to but junk. It's wierd. I think the sugar is finally out of my system and when I look at certain foods that would normally really tempt me I am reminded of the heavy, bloated sluggish feeling they used to give me...or with sugar laden items-the addicted, overwhelming urge to eat more that generally accompanied the splurge. Everything changes and I am very excited by how "in the zone" I am feeling today. Of course, three starch day are usually pretty good! LOL

Weight: 105.4lbs
Lifting: Savage Workout (Chest/Bi/Tris)
Cardio: 40mins (27mins outside, 13 inside)
Walk: Practiced 15 mins
Nutrition Goal: 133-143p/80-110c/31f
3 Starch Day
ACTUAL: 129.7p/109c/35f
Fat source: Flax Oil/ Almond Butter

Friday 4/3/09

Weight: 106.2lbs

Nutrition Goal:
133-143p/180-110c/31f (One Starch Day)

Nutrition Actual:139.4p/80.9c/38.2f
One starch/ Coc Oil and Almond Butter for fat today
(Fats rotate daily: coc oil/flax/salmon/Udo's)


Workout: Outdoor Start/Stop sprints, Burpee Long Jumps, Side Shuffles, Backward Lunges
Indoor Upper Body (photo was today) , 20 minutes intense in Summit Trainer/20min walk with incline. Stability Ball Ab Exercises.

The best part of today was working out with my new friend Samantha. It's so much easier to work out when you are sharing the experience with someone else. Its easier to push harder and a few good laughs go a long way when your muscles are burning. Thank you Sam for your time and for sharing your passion for living a healthy lifestyle.

Spoke with Jodi today and it looks like next week is my last week with dairy and coconut oil. Will be living in a sort of "nutritional box" for the last 4 weeks before show, decreasing my weigh training and increasing my cardio to create muscle separation...especially in my mid section. Everyone has their "trouble spot" and that's mine. Cardio increases to 6 X40mins next week. Staying on 1,2,3 starch rotation until next Friday. Thank God for GREEN TEA! Oh, and I did slip in a massage and Diet Red Bull today. Mmm...

This lifestyle is actually helping me get a lot more done and feel better than I normally would with moe freedom to indulge. Since I am intensely focused on adhering to a plan that creates clean, healthy habits I am finding that I am much more productive with my time in general. Less drifting aimlessly...more completion of tasks/ projects. Of course nobody is meant to live the pre-contest lifestyle for any long length of time...it's overly demanding and would drain the life out of someone if done for too long. But, right now the stategic, progressive process is creating a positive momentum in my life that is transfering over to so many other areas. Thank you God...please give me the grace to finish in a way that gives you glory.

Angela Sweet

Feeling Leaner! (:

Feeling Leaner! (:

I had the opportunity to be interviewed live by our local ESPN radio station. Amber Ameredes (very accomplished fitness competitor-top 3 in nation for fitness and runner up for bikini division last year-also coached by Cathy Savage) and I ha a great time talking to Nick Sekkas about the realities of our lifestyle right now...going to the gy twice/day to fit it all in...falling in love with green vegetables and paying close attention to macronutrient breakdowns. It's a science like anything else. I am intrigued by the process and by the challenge of it all- learning to discipline my flesh.

Today was pretty good but definitely not perfect-I ate too much salmon and broke down and had a bar late tonight. I will be speaking with Jodi tomorrow about my new nutrition plan. I have a feeling it's going to go to a whole new level!

Daily Accountability:
Goal 133-143p/80-110c/31f
Actual: OUCH! 143p/126.5c/44.8f

Completed 4o minutes cardio and practiced "T" walk 10 minutes...it was a lighter training day.

God Bless you! Ang

"A setback is just a setup for a COMEBACK"

I don't know everything...ugh!

At the beginning of this process I remember telling myself that I would "completely commit to whatever my coaches told me to do, without reservation or hesitation..." After all, Cathy and her staff are the top in the nation and have helped produce some of the best fitness models and athletes in the industry. Perhaps I was not aware that at some point my fleshly stubborn nature would kick in and I would try to do things "my way..."

Truth is...I should have been tracking my specific macro-nutrient details daily for the past several weeks. I have not...I've made proper menu plans which I have done very well with but all in all I have missed the boat when it comes to specificity. So, today when I checked in and was looking for very specific, dramatic changes I was very disapointed. Although I have made progress...being five and a half weeks away from gracing the stage this is not where I want to be. Why? Because I was lazy and thought I could skip "some" of the details and get the same results. WRONG. Lesson learned and I'm moving on.

So, I tracked every gram today of everything I put into my mouth and realized that...oh, I was quite off. LOL. Oops...

But- I corrected it and am committed to doing it the right way now. Thank you God for that humbling lesson. I pray that it will teach me to have more compassion toward my clients when they do not follow my directions completely. I will simply love on them and do my best to encourage positive changes.

ACCOUNTABILITY:
Weigh in: 107.2lbs (-2lbs from last week)

Measured food and tracked appropriately...a 2 starch day with 133g protein/90g carbs/ 31g fat
Huh! It feels great to know that I am not guessing and that's what I really ate! Jodi is going to be so proud of me! (Jodi=The Savage girl nutritionist)LOL

My husband had pizza and I wanted it reallllllly bad. And, there were several yummy things speaking to me at the grocery store. What-you didn't hear it? Hmm, that's wierd it seemed very loud.LOL Didn't do it!

100+ oz/ water

Forgot vitamins...):
Can't take in evening or I won't sleep. Oops.

Did light upper body workout from February Savage series

Did 20+ min workout outside walk followed by intense Hay street hill sprints. My time has improved dramatically from last week. Personal record was 15 seconds...decreased to 12 seconds today! Woo-hoo

Practiced T-walk for 20 minutes. There was one time early on I thought my ankle was going to snap...but it didn't! I am FINALLY getting the "hang of it!" I feel really tall and sexy now that I am not stumbling everywhere! I just keep telling myself...okay, don't LAUGH!
I pretend that I am Angelina Jolie in the movie Wanted. She is so flippin' mysterious and her movements are so gazelle like...it makes me walk better! I heard that Beyonce has a stage personality she channels named Sheila or something like that to make her lose her injhibitions and have more stage presence. Anyway...it works! Try it! LOL


God Bless You! Thanks for listening!
Angela

A sore but fruitful day!

Tomorrow is weekly weigh in, photos and body comp testing...have to send to Cathy Savage by evening. One day at a time!

All is well and I'm tracking! It's amazing to me the attention to detail that goes into a fitness competition...every shrug, smile and movement on stage is choreographed. I feel so wierd walking around the Omni aerobics room wearing my heels! I'll get over it! Need to-since there will be hundreds watching and judges scoring my stage presence soon.

I had my all time favorite two treats within the last 24 hours...both are good for me! (Real favorites are NACHOS with queso and of course...chocolate anything!) But, besides that...when in "cutting mode" I enjoy 4 egg whites fluffed with one tbsp Davinci sugar-free toasted marshmallow syrup and lots of cinnamon. If it's too dry I add a little sugar-free syrup. Mmm...using artificial sweeteners sparingly so this doesn't happen often, but I love it! Other than that 1 tbsp. almond butter and 1/2 tsp coconut oil mixed together is a rich and tasty healthy fat combination...although it's only allowed once/wk.

So, to the point...here is my accountability report for today.

-Followed Savage Custom Nutrition Plan
It was a 2 starch day!

-40 minutes cardio on treadmill- level 7 intensity. This was nice because I am very sore from sprints and jumping rope yesterday

- Practiced "T Walk" for 20 minutes...improving although I almost broke my ankle once!
Thank you to Debbie the janitor at Omni- she's awsome. She's been teaching me how to swish my hips! I need the help! LOL

Tomorrow is sprints up Hay street hill! Woo-hoo!

God Bless You!

"Every Choice Counts...where are you going?"

Angela Sweet
Ms. Bikini Universe 2009


Accountability Report:

3.30.09 Accountability Report

-Followed Nutritionist Recommended Eating Plan
(Clean Proteins/ Green veggies/One starch/ One fruit)

-Completed Custom Savage Workout (Whew!)

-Completed 40 minutes cardio- 10min intense jog/sprint intervals, 10min jump rope, bench jump and mountain climber intervals, finished with 20 minute walk on incline.

-Practiced T Walk/posing for show in 6" heels-20 Minutes
(Who the hack came up with 6" heels anyway! I'll bet it was a MAN!)

-Prepped meals for tomorrow while trying not to drool over my husband's "Pizza Bites!"LOL

"The spirit to win and the will to excel is always measured on stroke at a time."

Thanks for holding me accountable! It's one thing to have a dream and another to follow through when given the chance!

Angela Sweet
Ms. Bikini Universe 2009

Day one of blog!

As this self-absorbed sport has begun to consume much of my time and energy for a short season I found it necessary to create a space where I can vent, share and be held accountable for my goals. Thank you Casey Purcell for this idea. I feel great when I release my inner turmoil or excitement through writing..so it's a wonderful tool. If you are a friend or family member reading this-forgive my candid nature and low-carb craziness from time to time.

So why? Why am I competing in a bikini contest...two for that matter. For one simple reason...to gain exposure and open doors for fitness modeling opportunities and challenge myself to take my body to a whole new level as a leader in the fitness industry-WITHOUT thermogenics or fat loss aids of any kind...other than healthy food and of course, HARD WORK! The natural part is particularly difficult because in the past I used fat-burners whenever I needed to drop weight. Through God's grace and with Cathy Savage's amazing coaching team I am confident that I will be able to do this successfully...following a strategic plan each and every day.
After all, sucess leaves clues and consistency equals results!

It's six weeks out from the DC show and I've been restricted to one starch today...and I am adding another one starch day tomorrow because I cheated a lot this past weekend. One last hoorah on saturday is wraking havoc on my waistline...and the abs need to pop, so sacrafices must be made.

Was very tempted to eat my kids Easter candy from school today...but I didn't.

Followed my nutrition plan today to the "T" Was pretty tasty actually...clean, beautiful food.
Just not enough of it! LOL

Oh well, it's worth it!

Success...day 1/6 for DC countdown and 1/84 for Bikini Universe Countdown!

God Bless! Angela