Kirsten Ely - Week 3

Eating six times a day and working out three or four days a week has become second nature. I actually look forward to going to the gym. I am in a constantly good mood (most of the time). My energy doesn’t crash in the afternoon any longer. Oh, yeah, and I’ve lost a few inches and pounds… not a bad side effect either. At this point, the bikini competition that used to seem like a faraway idea is starting to cross my mind more frequently. It’s becoming a bit more… well, real. Each time I look at a glass of white wine and feel the urge to drink a bottle of the stuff… I think about that tiny swimsuit. I set a countdown calendar on my phone and look at it daily… 65 days until the competition. 65 days until I’m up on a stage in front of family and friends (and strangers!) strutting (hopefully strutting… and not clumsily stomping about with my shoulders slouched and head down) in barely anything, painted/tanned orange-ish, and wearing a pair of lucite heels. Holy moly… can I do this? Stacey {my nutrition/training/motivation guru} continues to remind me that I can. I hope (really, really hard) that she’s right.

Kaitland Ely - Week 3

Who would have thought that a number could be so motivating. This week, I feel like I saw the number 8 everywhere or at least everything in groups of eights. I would see 8 people, or 8 cars.... Not 6, or 7, but 8! Now if I was a weight company making weights I would definitely not just make 5's and then 8's.. I would make a 6 and a 7 pounder! Jumping up 3 pounds is a highly daunting task as well as extremely difficult. But I tried. This week, I did it. I finally moved to 8 pounds for the majority of my arm exercises! I think I burst into laughter or least had a huge smile on my face when i finished my first set. My second set, my smile turned more into a frustrated look of dispair, yet I felt kind of proud. Now, I was excited because I was finally seeing some results.

Kirsten Ely - Week 2

I now remember what it is like to feel sore. Incredibly sore. The kind of sore that is making me sacrifice my normal fashionable shoe choice and seriously consider some Kirkland brand sneakers that fasten with Velcro. At least then I wouldn’t have to bend over so much. Alright, kidding aside (I definitely haven’t sacrificed my high heels), I am actually sore. Very, very sore. The irony is that the sorer I am, the stronger I feel. Each lunge, every bicep curl, and every minute of cardio that is contributing to the ache in my body… is also contributing to its newfound strength. On Monday, I saw my biceps and triceps… for the first time. Ever. For a 6’1” (and ¾, I might add) girl with stick-like arms, this was an incredible accomplishment. I flexed proudly in the mirror at the gym (I finally felt as if I {kind of} belonged in this room full of totally in shape individuals) and Stacey snapped a picture on her phone. Then she put it on Facebook. On display for everyone. And the outpouring of support and encouragement and inspirational comments motivated me further. Stacey showed me that she believed in me… again. I almost forgot how sore I was. Almost.

Kaitland Ely - Week 2

Feeling inspired, led to a feeling of confidence through my supposed accomplishment of one week down. I felt motivated because I felt a slight soreness. Weird that sorness correlates positively with accomplishment, but when you are in training mode the motto no pain, no gain reigns true. I bought some new work out gear, to feel cute while I lifted my weights. I always thought the number five was a low number until I tried to do bicep curls with it. Then the number five felt eternally larger than life and almost impossible. I looked around and saw girls lifting 8's, and 10's, and even 20's. Not to say I didn't feel slightly discouraged, but also motivated to one day complete a full set of bicep curls with the daunting number 8! That was a personal goal of mine. That I hope to achieve by next week.

Maryanna Smith - Week 1

Wow! I have been doing it all wrong! Started training with Stacey Cooper 3 weeks ago & I am alrwady seeing results!! It's not easy to change diet & workout strategy. But I am so glad I put my trust in Stacey& results are forming. I actually workout less now than I did before. I use to do more cardio & little resistance work. Stacey's program is teaching me weight training, cardio, and consistency are equally important. Training smarter not harder or more is key. Amazed that I can see muscle tone within such a short amount of time! Thank you Stacey!!

Kirsten Ely - Week 1

I woke up Monday morning and started my day with a protein shake. It felt so official. For someone who was an athlete most of their life and then let college and law school get in the way of working out, the protein shake was a reminder of who I once was. Before, training meant being able to hit the ball harder or improve the accuracy of my jump shot… I always thought of training as something I could do to benefit my team. This time, it was different; I was doing something entirely for me… and it was scary. Throughout the first week of working out in preparation for a bikini competition (Gasp! What in the world have I gotten myself into?!), I tried to envision myself walking across the stage… in a strappy little swimsuit and stilettos… and I just couldn’t. But I wasn’t completely discouraged because Stacey could envision me doing it. And, with each sip of my protein shake each day of the week (and each second of incline treadmill cardio), I reminded myself that someone believed in me. If my {amazing!} trainer thought I could do it… maybe… just maybe… she was right.

Kaitland Ely - Week 1

The beginning of a new chapter in my life finally dedicated to me. This is something I have never done before. Most of my life I have done things because I was "supposed" to, but not now. I was in training mode. A feeling I haven't felt since I was in competitive sports, but then again I was doing it with and for a team. Now I was on my own working with other girls trying to achieve our own personal goals. Granted I am working out with my sister, so I have a built in team and support system! Generally we do everything together and this is another thing, but we are doing it for different reasons. To say the least, I was scared. I thought, oh God, I am sooooo out of shape, will I even be able to keep up? Well, I did, but barely. Being out of breath and feeling muscle fatigue and twitching were feelings I thought I would not like, but i did. I felt accomplished and successful. Again, only week one, but I was inspired!