Fitness Update | Coming Back From Being A Victim of Crime

 It's fitness update time!!! It has been a hot minuet since my last fitness update, if you want to check out my last post Fitness Update | Finished 21 Day Fix EXTREME | National Sprint Duathlon Women 25-29 Champion! If you did happen to read it you would know that I qualified to race in Duathlon Worlds this year in August.

I did take a few days off after the qualifying race in September to recover but now I'm back at it. I sat down and made a training plan that lasted to the end of December....which unfortunately I didn't finish and it's a long story...

 ....without going into too much detail as I'm still not sure how much of my experience I want to share I was the victim of crime in December. It was an absolutely gut wrenching experience that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I honestly lived most of December fearful to leave my house, sleep, anything! I basically sat locked up in my house armed and waiting for our attacker to come back....which he did several times.

It's hard to even put into words what happen, how I feel about the whole situation because I feel like I'm still processing what the hell happen!

My husband and I were so fortunate to have some many amazing family member's and friends that stepped in to help us. We were brought food every single day, people were coming over to my house to walk my dog - no I wasn't even leaving the house to walk my own dog! For me that's a big deal since our little pup usually goes for three walks a day....minimum. I even had people just come over and clean or sit with me to watch some TV to help get my mind off of what was happening.

So basically - as I'm sure you can imagine - my training came to a screeching halt.

Time seemed to just disappear...it honestly took me till about the beginning of February for me to get back to my normal routine - and even then it was hard to even think about how to get back to what was "normal".

If you've even been the victim of crime, you know it's hard to get back to your life. I was told by so many people that it's ok to be all over the place and that it was going to be a struggle trying to return to a "normal" life.

I do want to share a piece of my experience on my blog - my hope is it could possibly help someone who as been affected by a victim of crime...or just provide some support to know you are not alone. I found there wasn't a lot of public support for myself and my husband. Give me about another week or two...I'm going to have to sit down and put what happen into words which I already know is going to be difficult.

 To be honest my training really just started again this February - and yes my body could absolutely tell that I had taken a big chunk of time off. Since the plan that I made ended at the end of December I decided to make a new one instead of trying to finish off my old training plan.....sort of like a fresh start.

Currently I have a new training plan I'm following that includes three times a week of doing at home Beachbody workouts (Piyo, 21 Day Fix Extreme and T25), one interval running day, one tempo running day, one longer running day and spinning at home on my trainer.

It's a busy schedule but I've been loving the variety.

My favorite part of my whole training plan has to be including our puppy, Bear, in one of my training runs per week. If you haven't read about Bear you can read his last 5 month update post. Bear is now almost 8 months and technically he's not supposed to be running with me for another 2 months but he doesn't do my whole workout and I go so slow when he's with me all he does is quick walk beside me while I jog.

I'm planning on doing another update on how Bear is doing on Wednesday so make sure you are subscribe to my blog for notifications. I'll include what sort of training he does with me, how long he runs for and what equipment I use - this is so important! I've tested out so many different running belts, leashes and harness to get the perfect combination. It's not enjoyable if you have to keep stopping your run to untangle the dogs leash or if they are dragging you because they aren't trained properly to walk hands free.

I am so excited to share with you all Bear's update on Wednesday and make sure you are subscribe for to my blog to get notified on my next fitness update!

Fitness Update | Finished 21 Day Fix EXTREME | National Sprint Duathlon Women 25-29 Champion!

 We've got a lot to catch up on! My last fitness update was on August 19th, two weeks before my qualifying race. At that time I was preparing for one last hard training week and then I was going to tapper off and do race prep one week before my race.

I worked my butt off those last two weeks leading up to my race! It wasn't easy but I had put so much time and effort in at that point, I told myself that it would all be worth it in the end. The pain you feel during training and racing is temporary but the results that you post are forever.

I wanted so badly to post some amazing results at the Edmonton ITU Duathlon race. Not only did I was to post good results for myself personally, I wanted a spot on team Canada for the 2017 World Duathlon Championships.

I finished another round of 21 Day Fix EXTREME a week before the race. I've been using this program as cross training and to help improve my leg strength for racing.

In addition I was able to stay injury free (besides my knee that I had hurt previously). My knee honestly wasn't bothering me too bad leading up to my race but I did decide to throw some tape on it for race day just for some extra support (which was recommend to me by physiotherapist).

The weekend before race day I had to opportunity to head out to Hawrelak Park and practice on the race course. It was a great training day! I got to practice on the hills, I was able to run around the park and get a good sense of what I was in for.

I was able to scope out where transition would be and I even practiced a few transitions just to make sure everything was race ready.

Then 6 days before the day I adopted an eight week old puppy....what!?!?! This was something that was not in the plan at ALL but it happened. I'm going to do a whole lifestyle post on our new puppy this Wednesday so make sure you are subscribed to my blog in order to be notified when that post goes up.

Lets just say it's a good thing that puppies sleep a lot. Even though our new puppy is a lot of work I was still able to do my race prep, get a good amount of sleep and prepare for my race.

On race day it was cold....very cold. I bundled up nice and warm and heading to the race. I was so nervous just before the start. My heart was pounding, thoughts started racing through my head (am I ready for this? Did I train enough? I wonder how fast everyone else is? Do I have everything in transition that I need for my race?)

I took a minuet after checking in the athletes village, I took a breath and calmed down. Racing is so much more than just physical, you have to be in the right mindset as well. Something I've been working very hard at is self motivation and positive talk.

I told myself that I had done everything that I could have possible done to prepare for this moment. I told myself that I had put in countless hours of training and no matter what the results were I was going to have an amazing race. I told myself not to worry about anyone else and to stick to my own race plan I had set.

Well turns out I had trained enough because I took home the GOLD medal in my age category which makes me the National Sprint Duathlon Women 25-29 Champion! 

I just want to take a minuet to thank everyone for all the support I have received here on my blog, Instagram, Facebook and email. I have had so many heart warming comments and well wishes from people cheering me on and supporting me throughout my training....it has honestly been overwhelming! From the bottom on my heart THANK YOU!!!

So what's next for me? I'll be competing in worlds August 2017.

I'll be sure to post regular updates over the next year sharing what I'm doing for training. Please be sure to subscribed if you want to be notified when those posts go up. 

I've been taking it pretty easy this past week and letting my body recover after my race....but it's time to get my butt in training mode and start planning out what I'm going to be doing for the rest of the year.

Thank you again for all the wonderful support!

Fitness Update | Blam Bombshell Fitness

 15 days to go!!! I can't believe my last fitness update was almost a month ago....where has the time gone?

As the end of July I was down in Nashville attending Beachbodys Summit Conference - it was incredible! The weather cooperated and was very hot - our hotel was about a 20min walk away from the conference so we decided to walk to and from the conference everyday. By the time we got there we were dripping in sweat - neither my husband or I were used to that kind of heat.

Regardless we got to attend some great workshops that educated us more about the business, we got to meet some amazing coaches from the team AND we got to attend some awesome workouts.

 If you follow me on any of my social media accounts (Snapchat [mspamblam], Instagram, Facebook) it might have looked like I was down there for a really fun vacation....but nope it was for expanding my business. I honestly came back with over 30 pages of notes and some great new ideas for Blam Bombshell Fitness! I am really looking forward to running some more fitness groups and see how the rest of the year plays out.

It was great because even though I was down there for business we were able to attend workouts held by Beachbody so I never missed a beat with my workouts.

However, when I got home...it was all business. I sat down and wrote out my last and final month of training before my qualification race to make team Canada for worlds in 2017. I decided to kick things off with one last final round of 21 Day Fix EXTREME. I planned it out so I would end my program one week before my race - I like to tapper off before my race and let my body recover. Today marks day 13/21 - I am so proud of myself for NEVER missing a single day....plus I've lost 5 pounds so I really can't complain.

Not going to lie it hasn't been easy. Not only am I doing 21 Day Fix EXTREME but I am have to get in my running and biking workouts. Some days I'm workouting for over 3 hours just to get all my workouts in - other days, like a rest day, just consists of a 21 Day Fix EXTREME workout and I've made sure that something easy like yoga falls onto those days.

Making my own training program has been tough to find that balance of training hard to make me faster&stronger but still allowing me active rest days to let my body recover.

Unfortunately last Saturday when doing some running/biking training and transition training I hyper extended my knee....yes again with my knee. I do have an old knee injury that keeps creeping back into my life. As I was practicing jumping on and off my bike at transition I came down a little too hard on my knee.

Transition is defiantly one of my weakest parts of the race. There are some athletes that just fly through transition...it's defiantly a good place to break away if you are caught up in a pack of people.

On race day it's going to be very important for me to get through transition quickly if I'm with a pack of people during the run because the bike is draft legal. That means if I can stay with a pack of people we can actually help draft each other on the bike so all of us don't have to work as hard as we would if we were on our own.

My transitions have defiantly been getting better but I sure am glade I still have 15 more days to practice. I honestly haven't practiced transition since my last worlds competition in 2013 - oh well they must have that saying "it's just like riding a bike" for a reason.

I have to say I've been putting in a TON of work into  my training and it's really rewarding when people actual start to see the results pay off. Yesterday I was out biking hills and running intervals....my husband has been a good sport and has kept me company on a few of my training sessions. Yesterday he gave me the biggest complement and said my hill climbing was getting so much better he couldn't keep up with me AND  my running had improved dramatically withing the past 2 weeks. Normally he can out sprint me but yesterday I was out sprinting him & my dad....and lets be honest my dad has been training and raced more triathlons than me this year- he even did another half Ironman in early July so he's in good shape.

So what's in store for me these final few days? I have another week and a half of hard training and then I will begin to tapper off. I'll be finishing my 21 Day Fix EXTREME program next Saturday and then I will probably be backing off of home workouts until after the race. I will keep Pilates and yoga from 21 Day Fix EXTREME in my training rotation as active recovery but that's about it.

The most important thing for me right now is get my knee back to 100% and stay injury free on these final few days.

Don't forget to follow me on my other social media platforms - Snapchat [mspamblam] is the best place to find me if you want to know what I'm up to on a day to day basic.

Also remember to hit that subscribe button if you want to be notified when I post my next fitness update.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

P90X Update Week 9

Just a couple pictures from my Saturday workout. I know its been a while since I've posted pictures but I always forget to set up the camera when I'm working out. Its not the easiest thing to remember because I'm usually trying to focus on the workouts.

Week 9 is complete!! Whoot whoot!!

Not a lot to update this week, I'm very excited that I'm almost done. I've really enjoyed doing P90X but I am also looking forward to trying out a new BeachBody workout.

The main thing I have found difficult about this program is the time commitment. The workouts are about 1 hour to 1.5 hours everyday for 90 days. It's a huge time commitment to take on...especially when it falls over Christmas.

I have definitely enjoyed the program and I'm loving the results. I will say that I wish I would have had more commitment to complete more workouts as I think I would have seen many more results.

I'm still seeing lots of toning and every week I'm finding that I am able to life more weights or do more reps than the previous week. Not to mention I feel stronger from week to week. Along with feeling stronger I also feel more energized! It's a definite bonus to doing the program.

If you have any questions about the program or my progress throughout the program I would be more than happy to answer them. Just leave your question in the comments below.

Check back next week for my week 10 update!!

P90X Update Week 7&8

Here is a brief overview of how my week 7&8 workouts went.

Did I complete all the workouts? No, I had to skip a couple as "life" got in the way

Did I increase my weight? Yes, some one the workouts I was able to double my weight from when I first started the program

Was I able to do all the moves? No, there are still a few exercise that I struggle with and either have to do a modified version or skip over

Have I lost weight? Since I've started the program I've lost about 5 pounds...not huge but I'm doing doing the program to lose any weight

Do I feel any different? No really, still a little fatigued after some workouts

Has my body gotten toner? Yes, in some places I've noticed a huge change

Will I continue the workout? Absolutely!! I only have a few more weeks to go!! Check back next Friday for another update

Do you have any questions about my progress? Leave your questions in the comments below and I am more than happy to answer any of them!!

P90X Update Week 6

Happy boxing day!!! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and hopefully everyone is having a relaxing boxing day.

Week 6 marks the half way point! This week I followed the same schedule at week 5. It's been difficult following all the workouts during Christmas as I've been very busy with family gatherings. I haven't noticed any changes this week. My weights that I've been lifting have stayed the same and my weight has also not changed.

Sorry there were no pictures this week, I haven't had a lot of spare time to set up the camera while working out. If you have any questions about the program please feel free to ask in the comments.

Thanks for joining me for fitness Friday. Check back next Friday for my week 7 update.

P90X Update Week 5

Another week of P90X has come and gone. It was a tough week and not necessary successful.

I'll start out by saying that the Christmas season is not a great time to workout. I have been so busy doing other things to get ready for the holidays. Out of the 7 days I was supposed to workout I think I did about 3...yikes!!! Not great. Trust me I've beaten myself up about it as this has been a huge disappointment. But hey what can I do?

This week there were some new workouts thrown into the mix that I haven't done yet. I really enjoyed mixing it up after doing the same workouts for almost a month. I did my best at trying to take some photos (credit goes to my trusty tripod). Sorry they aren't the best I'll try to take some more in week 6 that will hopefully turn out better.

This workout consisted of chest, shoulder and triceps. Lots of lifting weights and man were my arms sore the next day.


Of course P90X wouldn't be complete if I didn't do push ups every workout!

And doing some variations of push ups....they make you stronger so keep doing them...even though I don't like them.

I have noticed one thing this week, I have been able to lift heavier weights this week which means that I must be getting stronger!

When I first started P90X back in October I know that for this specific exercise above I was lifting two pounds less.

It's important to count the little victories from week to week. It's sometimes hard to notice changes when you are the one doing the workout and going through the experience. I've found that taking pictures and documenting the process I've been able to pick up on small changes that I've made throughout this journey. It's important to reward yourself for making these small accomplishments, I like to use it for fuel for me next week.

I will say that this program isn't easy to get through and I've already found myself getting discouraged. The main thing is doing beat yourself up too badly. If there is one move in the DVD that you struggle just do your best. Each move does get easier from week to week but when you are in the moment trying to struggle through it's defiantly more of a mind game than anything else.

Remember to stay stronger and keep going!! If you need any motivation or if you are struggling and need some support leave me a comment.

If you have any questions about the program or my progress so far that I haven't included please feel free to leave a comment.

Check back next week for my week 6 update!

P90X Update Week 4

I am back on track!!!

I complete week 4 of P90X, if you are curious on why there is such a delay between week 3 and week 4 please click here where I explain. So after taking two weeks off it was very difficult to get back into my routine. Thank goodness that week 4 is sort of a rest week.

Week 4 follows a different sequence than the first three weeks. It consists of yoga, stretching and a little bit of kenpo which is sort of like kickboxing. Kenpo was probably the most difficult day because it's a lot of cardio.

Even though I stopped doing P90X for two weeks I kept my diet very healthy. I continued with my healthy eating all through week 4 and I really do think it makes a difference. I am down two pounds since I started the program, I know it's not a lot but I really wasn't expecting to loose anything at all so I was really excited when I stepped on the scale and saw that.

Biggest tip for this week....keep going!!! I had to take two weeks off but I worked around and so can you. Make P90X work for you and fit into your schedule.

If you have any questions about the program or my progress that I didn't include please feel free to ask away!

5 Foods You Should Eat To Loose Weight and Stay Healthy

1) Kale - Kale has so many great health benefits and is very low in calories. Just one cup of kale has 33 calories, 3 grams of protein, 2.5 grams of fiber, vitamin A, C and K. This is great to add to smoothies and juicing or pack yourself a kale salad for lunch.

2) Yogurt - yogurt is a great snack option!! This is a good that has probiotics which is bacteria that can help you reduce the amount of fat your absorb. There are tons of different flavors out there, enough for everyone to find something they like.

3) Fruit/Veggies - another great food that you can take on the go for a snake. Veggies are an easy snake food that everyone should be eating. It's recommended that everyone eat 7 serving of fruit and veggies everyday. A good quick way to make sure your getting enough is drinking smoothies or juicing.

4) Extra - Virgin Olive Oil - this can help lower cholesterol, it contains antioxidant compounds, vitamin E and oleocanthal (which can reduce inflammation). This is great to use in your cooking and is very easy to incorporate. You can also find a lot of recipes for salad dressing which you can add to your kale salads.

5)Dark Chocolate - treat yourself! Just because you are eating healthy or trying to loose weight you can still treat yourself. Dark Chocolate is packed with disease fighting antioxidant, it can help reduce the risk of blood clots and lower blood pressure and inflammation. But remember, everything in moderation. You can eat a couple pieces a day...don't start eating chocolate by the pound and expect to loose weight or stay healthy.