Today I just wanted to write a quick post to wish one of our writer’s Michelle Kyman well as she competes in her second fitness competition!

If you haven’t read any of Michelle’s posts, you should!  She is the owner of Embody Fitness in Orange County, California. Michelle is a mom of 2. With each pregnancy she gained 75 lbs!! She lost the weight, and in the process decided to become a trainer to help other women lose the weight, and lose the excuses.  A couple of years ago Michelle decided to challenge herself, and compete in a fitness competition!

Michelle's First Fitness Competition...2010

Today on St Patrick’s Day Michelle is spray tanned up, she’s eaten her chicken and almonds for breakfast (I saw that on her Facebook status) and is ready to rock!  Thanks for inspiring us Michelle to get fit!  You’ve taught us that at almost 40, with 2 kids, and a ton of discipline we can reach our fitness goals!

Here’s a video interview of Michelle that I posted in January during A Better Me Challenge.  Check it out! She gives great tips for moms who want to lose their “baby weight.”

Good Luck today!  We can’t wait to hear about your workouts and what you ate this time around.  And, we can’t wait to see your pictures from today’s competition!!!

Annett Davis, Olympian & Founder of Fit Moms Fit Kids

My first fitness competition photo.

Here’s my typical Monday:

6:00am - wake up, take my Juice Plus, make coffee, make my breakfast (2 SCOOPS OF PROTEIN POWDER, 1/2 CUP OF OATMEAL, 1/4 CUP ALMONDS, 1/2 CUP BLUEBERRIES, CINNAMON), prepare client folders for the day

7:20am - get my oldest son out the door and wake up my youngest son

7:30am – 10:30am – 3 clients in a row

10:30am - eat my lunch (2 BOCA BURGERS, 2 SLICES OF EZEKIEL BREAD, 1/2 CUP AVOCADO, 2 CUPS BROCCOLI)

11:00am - my fourth client

12:30pm - workout: 40 minutes of steady-state cardio/25 minutes of HIIT* (high-intensity interval training) and 45 min-1 hr of resistance training

2:00pm - drink my after workout drink (1 SCOOP OF PROTEIN POWDER & BANANA)

2:30pm - help my oldest with his homework

3:00pm - eat my afternoon snack (1 EZEKIEL TORTILLA, 1/2 CUP OF EGG WHITES, 1/2 CUP AVOCADO OR 1 CUP OF GREEK YOGURT, 1 CUP BLUEBERRIES)

4:15pm - run a boot camp at a local park for 8 middle-school volleyball players

5:30pm - my fifth client

6:30pm - make dinner for the family and clean up (5 OZ FISH, 1/2 CUP AVOCADO OR OLIVE OIL, SPINACH SALAD, 3 OZ BROWN RICE, 2-3 CUPS CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES**)

8:30pm - put my kids to bed, and prepare for the next day, answer emails, read.

9:30pm - evening snack (2 TSP ALMOND BUTTER, PROTEIN DRINK)

10:30pm - good night!!

*HIIT: I blogged two months ago about what exactly High-Intensity Interval Training is. Check it out on the website.

**Cruciferous vegetables are mostly green leafy ones that are high in nutrients and low in calories. Some include: spinach, broccoli, kale, bok choy, cauliflower, celery, asparagus, cabbage, etc.

Next month I will tell you all about my actual workout with exercises, reps, and weights I used to train for my first fitness show!  So you won’t miss it, subscribe.

Hi Fit Moms!!

Happy February! I hope all of you are sticking to those goals you set forth for yourselves at the beginning of the year. If not, it’s never too late to jump back on the wagon!! This week, I want to share with all of you my experience of training for my first fitness show. “Fitness Show?”, you ask….Yes! A fitness show is pretty much a body-building/physique competition. The competition includes men and women of all ages. I decided to blog about this because I wanted to show all of you that even though you are a busy mom, who may also work, and be over the age of 35 (like me), you too can achieve great things in your body if you set your mind to it!!!

Michelle is a 6'2" mom of 2 who lost 70+ pounds after each pregnancy!

Last summer, I was looking for something to challenge me physically. I was getting bored at the gym doing the same thing….I needed a goal, a challenge. My friend at the gym encouraged me to train with her, so I began training 14 weeks out from my first show (October 30, 2010). I met with a trainer who set up my menu plan, and got me started on my first 4 weeks of workouts. Before I began, I made sure I had the support of my family (because without them on board, it would have been way more difficult!!) I told myself that I can do anything in 14 weeks!! So my journey began…..

I had to measure and weigh ALL MY FOOD, EVERYDAY!! During this time, I didn’t have a sip of alcohol, a bite of dessert, or anything else that wasn’t on my menu. The great thing about my meal plan was I never got hungry!! I worked out 6 days a week and never skipped a workout. Was I exhausted some days?? Yes! Were there days that I felt like gorging on a large brownie? Yes! But I kept the course because I made a promise to myself.

I was tested many times during my training…I had to sit at a buffet in Vegas and watch my family eat dinner (OUCH!), I attended three 40th birthday parties (while bringing my own bag of food to each party), and I made sure that wherever I was (on vacation in Lake Havasu), I would be sure to bring my workout clothes and find a gym nearby!!

Well, to my surprise, many positive things started happening to me: 1. I became the leanest I had ever been, at 8.5%. 2. I had more energy than I knew what to do with. 3. I got my blood work back a week before my show and my total cholesterol was the lowest at 115. 4. I was fitting into a size 6 (I’m normally a size 10). 5. I was lifting more weight than ever before. 6. My skin, hair, and nails were awesome. 7. Most importantly, I had learned so much about my own willpower, commitment, and dedication, that I was satisfied before I had even stepped on stage for the show!!

The end result came as a disappointment because in my heart and mind, I was going to place 1st!! That’s what kept me going. But, I placed 8th out of 11, and it broke my heart!! As I had time to reflect on it, it was the “journey” that I had enjoyed, not the end result. I felt awesome!! And, I want every mom, who thinks they have to be satisfied with themselves, to take note of my story and know that the sky is the limit!! I am no different from you!!

My measurements from start to finish:

Chest: 38.25″ to 37″

Waist: 32″ to 29.5″

Hip: 39.75″ to 36.25″

Thigh: 23″ to 20.75″

Weight: 170 lb. to 160 lb.

Body Fat: 12.6% to 8.5%