Why am I doing this?

In the throes of the Hour of Honour I often ask myself "Why am I doing this? Why am I sprinting until I can barely breathe, squatting until my quads feel like they're on fire, doing burpees until I want to puke, cleaning and pressing until my whole body shakes. Why?! WHY??!!" I'll tell you why. As many of you know I was fortunate enough to be chosen to be in a couple of Get RIPPED workout videos with Jari Love (www.jarilove.com). We just filmed this weekend and it was an awesome, amazing experience. It took a lot of preparation for me to not only keep up with the other Get RIPPED crew members, but to look fit and lean like them as well. That's where the strict dieting and hard training from the Hour of Honour came in. Then there were the other sacrifices like not going out for dinner and drinks, spending Sundays cooking for the week, passing on all the treats brought into the office at work ... I could go on. Many would say that I'm not "living" or I'm not having fun. I'd say it's quite the opposite. Even though the 2-hour Get RIPPED practices would end an hour before my bedtime and I would still have to drive home and eat ... I loved every minute of it. Even though at Hour of Honour I'd have to dig in because I already did an hour of cardio earlier that day ... I wouldn't have changed a thing. It all contributed to some great results. My weight went down ... my body fat went down ... I was looking lean and mean for Get RIPPED filming day! My trainer even said "Good job" and gave me a high five after doing my BF% test and compliments don't come easy from him. But what was most important, I had the energy and stamina to keep my energy levels UP for the entire day of filming ... with a smile on my face! I loved being a part of the Get RIPPED crew this year and being on set seemed like such a natural fit for me. Driving home after the long day, i was overcome with emotion ... fighting tears of joy. So when I go to Hour of Honour today and start to ask myself "Why?!" ... all I have to do is think about the joy I felt accomplishing a goal and getting an opportunity I'll never forget.

10 Almonds Per Day (And Other Important Numbers)

I never thought I'd be so pumped about having 2 tablespoons of any condiment per meal. My trainer said I could! But when I asked him if that included ALMOND BUTTER he said "Almond butter is not a condiment." Whatever. But I do get to have 10 almonds per day. One of my friends asked me "What happens if you have 11?" Good question. Nothing really happens. "It's just a guideline", I told her. "Like the number on your scale."

Fitness/figure competitors are so obsessed with numbers ... calories, weight of food, weight on the scale, body fat percentage, days and weeks until competition etc. Here are some numbers I'm dealing with right now: my goal is to lose 3.4% body fat in 3 weeks ... just in time for filming day for the Ripped: Chiseled workout video. And even though it's not a competition, sometimes I get overwhelmed and just don't want to count anymore. Or I just don't want to stand on the scale every week and here it creak and wonder what the number will be this time. It can be agonizing and frustrating sometimes when that number is not what you want it to be.

So I've decided NOT to focus on certain numbers right now (BF% and weight) and just DO THE WORK. Because I believe if I DO THE WORK the results will come. So here's to day two of my 3 week plan (more numbers ... ha!) ... all meals consumed (no extras), cardio completed, and hour of honour accomplished. Bring on day three!