Operation Sexy Bod

written by Blaire

For any of the ladies out there reading this, we can all probably pick out a few things about our bodies that we don’t like, right?

Jess and I would pretty much do that everyday when we worked out…I mean, come on…the walls in the gym are literally lined with massive mirrors. We could see every bulge, lump and bump and we would poke and pry at our bodies talking about how we “just want this to go down” or “just want this part smaller”.

Today, we had a revelation.

Yes, a revelation.

We started talking about what we liked about our bodies; what we loved about our progress so far. We didn’t even talk about what we would like to work on or what we would like to see… Just the good stuff.

Even the most beautiful, seemingly perfect looking girls have self-confidence issues. There’s always something, isn’t there?

Jess and I have been working out and following the nutrition plan like maniacs and it feels really good to finally feel really good. No, outward appearance isn’t everything, but what is the harm in working hard to get fit and feel good about ourselves?

Looking sexy is just a bonus.

Look in the mirror and pick out what you like about yourself. It will feel soooooo good.

written by Jess

As some of you may know, I celebrated my birthday this weekend. To me it was the perfect weekend but to some others it could have been missing something special.

Here are a few hints: its calorie and fat filled, lacks nutritional value, gives only immediate gratification and goes straight to your hips. Any guesses?

….

If you guessed cake, you are right!

When I first told my family I didn’t want cake or dessert for my birthday they all looked at me like I had officially lost it. This is probably because everyone knows I have a HUGE sweet tooth and one of my favourite desserts is ice cream cake, which I have always looked forward to and have had every year for my birthday for as a long as I can remember. After hearing this news my family told me they were going to get cake anyways and eat it in front of me, however they thankfully decided against this (maybe they knew rage would ensue if they did).

I will be honest it did feel strange not having everyone sing happy birthday and place a huge mound of cake in front of me, but thankfully my lovely best friend and operation sexy bod partner made us a delicious healthy alternative, chocolate cheesecake made with cottage cheese, almond butter, chocolate milk, and chocolate protein powder. It was super yummy and I still got to blow out candles!

I’m here to tell you that even if there is a special occasion, like a birthday you can still focus on your nutrition and fitness goals and not allow one day throw you off track.

I am so glad that I made it through the weekend without indulging in sweets and treats and I wouldn’t change a thing about the weekend or my choices!

               “If you really want something, you can figure out how to make it happen.”

                                                                                         -Cher

written by Blaire

If you have been reading some of the links that Taylored Training is posting on their facebook, or if you read The Fitness Blog on their website (http://tayloredtraining.ca/blog2/) , a popular topic seems to be if your friends/family are sabotaging your fitness results.

As someone who is 110% dedicated to this program, I cannot even imagine how hard it would be if my friends and family were not supporting me and all of my decisions every step of the way.

Let’s say that for dinner every night, my boyfriend was like “I’m going to have pizza/a Big Mac/pasta. I don’t care what you have” and stuff it in his face, I might be a little disappointed that he isn’t encouraging me through his actions. This doesn’t mean that my lifestyle change has to change his life, but there are definitely things that he can do to make temptation a little easier on me. Luckily, Will pretty much eats what I eat for dinner…He just might add some sauces or have potatoes with his veggies. He supports me through his actions, and your friends/family/significant other should as well.

Almost everyday I get a phone call from my Mom asking me how my workout was and how I’m doing. Twice a week at baseball, my teammates will ask Jess and I how Operation Sexy Bod is going. Jess and I talk everyday about how we’re doing and what our struggles are. Not only is there support, but there is accountability.

This challenge is definitely challenging enough. Jess and I have really lucked out by not only being in it together, but having the constant support of Taylor, Whitney, Vanessa, Cassie, Allee and the other Physique Challengers and members of the gym.

If you know someone who is working toward a fitness goal, don’t sabotage it. Try not to stuff your face in front of them (some of us are still working on our will power) and don’t ever encourage them to skip out on their workout.

As our friends/families/significant others, we need your support. Help us out!

written by Jess

Soooooo today is day 17, middle of week 3. We have heard that week 3 is the worst and man oh man, it’s the truth. I have been carb raging all day. As I was walking downtown past all of the restaurant patios I had the urge to walk up to people grab the food out of their mouths, throw it on the ground, stomp on it then lecture them about the crap they are putting in their bodies. At the time it really didn’t sound that irrational. 

I’ll save the rest of my Carb Rage Rant for ‘Carb Rage Thursday’.

This week me and Blaire both experienced double workout days (two workouts a day if you missed or are going to miss a workout), which I am sure other Physique Challengers will also have to go through in the next few weeks. It really wasn’t that bad. I went into the day prepared with all my meals ready, my pre-and-post workout necessities organized and my mind ready to give it my all both at 7:00 am and 3:00 pm. I left the gym at the end of the day feeling refreshed and really proud of myself. If you told me six months ago I would be passionate about going to the gym, actually enjoy it and go more than once a day, I would have told you that you’re bananas.

My advice for you if you miss a workout and need to double up or are planning on going to the gym for the first time, is to be organized. Get everything ready the night before so you can’t make excuses for yourself, such as “I woke up too late” or “I couldn’t find my gym clothes”. This way you wont be stressed out if you are late and you wont forget anything. It will take some time but once you get into a routine, you will be able to do it with your eyes closed!

                                           “Success doesn’t come to you, you go to it.”

                                                                              - Marva Collins

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Blaire & Jess

written by Blaire

So as you know, I went camping this past weekend and took it upon myself to pre-pack my healthy food. I thought that eating healthy would be a breeze while camping with a bunch of people who eat crap.

Well….By Saturday I was raging and just wanted a friggen chip. It was horrible. As Jess wrote in the previous post, cravings hadn’t been an issue thus far. But man oh man…For some reason, Saturday was SUCH a struggle.

My will power kicked in and I survived my inner rage attacks. There was even a delicious looking and smelling homemade cake on Sunday…I resisted the urge to devour the whole thing and decided that I wanted to take a piece home and freeze it for 4 weeks. I didn’t even do that. Wow, I’m stronger than I thought I was.

I even came home early to do my Monday workout with the rest of the amazing, strong willed and dedicated Physique Challenge members…I may or may not have uppercutted myself with the barbell while doing a clean and press. I may or may not have a bruise on my chin and tooth marks in my tongue to prove it.

This challenge seems to be getting more and more challenging as the days go on.

17 days down, 25 to go.

“Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory”

    - General George S. Patton

written by Jess

So last night I was absolutely starving after work. As I was preparing a nice night-time snack, the ice cream comes out of the freezer.

As my step dad was scooping the cold, icy goodness into his bowl, I started getting these intense cravings, much like I would assume a vampire craves human blood. I had to, no word of a lie, physically move away from the ice cream because I thought I was going to grab the entire carton, stick my face in it and just start eating until the entire thing was gone. The weird thing about this occurrence is that before last night, I had some cravings, but nothing major. Heck, I even brought the ice cream home for my family “as a treat” (as per their request), and all weekend I was surrounded by Dairy Queen and candy and felt nothing.

This morning at the gym, while doing an intense set of deadlifts, me and Blaire started joking about how we felt like vampires because we are finding it super hard to resist and be around junk food without wanting to severely harm the people around us or eat everything in sight. 

Now if we only had some vervain (vampire diaries anyone?) to put on all of our weakness foods to punish us if we ever give in.

Oh wait, that’s what our trainers are for. 

                     “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
                                                                      - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

written by Jess

So me and Blaire found ourselves completely devouring the delicious amazingness that is Marble Slab Creamery. We got not only 1 mixin each, but 3 (peanut butter ice cream, skor bits, cookie dough, and fudge sauce to be exact). We justified our gluttony by repeating “we so deserve this.”

After we polished off our treats, we both starred into our empty bowls. Then Blaire looks at me and says “you know we are going to have to tell Taylor about this, right?” I stare back at her in disgust and say “for real? He is going to kill us, I am still SO sore” and Blaire replies “I know, but we have to.” We fell completely silent and disappointment started to take place of the joy we had seconds earlier. Not only are our tummies aching but we are completely disgusted with ourselves, and we know that we are going to have to face Taylor the next day.

All of a sudden I’m awake in a puddle of cold sweat reaching for my belly to see if it feels bloated and trying to remember what I did the night before.

Thank goodness it was just a dream.

When you are on a strict training regime like Operation Sexy Bod, you no longer have nightmares about monsters or circus people, you have nightmares about cheating and having to face your butt-kicking trainer the next day.

Moral of the story: if you think you will have to lie to your trainer about it, it’s probably not a good choice.

“Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice. “
                                                                                               Wayne Dyer

written by Blaire

Here’s a small glimpse at what my weekend consisted of:

Wedding, Brunch, Potluck.

All three events were super fun, and all three events had quite the spread of food…None of which were steamed vegetables and lean meat… So for someone on a strict nutrition plan (no, not a diet, as so many of you have mistaken this for) it was certainly a challenge. Again, hence The Physique Challenge.

When you are trying to eat a certain way and find yourself eating anywhere but home, it can definitely be tough. This weekend I witnessed people chugging drinks like it was their jobs (wedding…), downing bacon, sausage, croissants, and key-lime pie (brunch…let’s take a second and talk about key-lime pie at brunch?? WTF?!), and filling their plates with, what seemed like, dozens of desserts (potluck). Bastards.

Sure, I could have justified having that one piece of key-lime pie since I have been eating well…Sure, I could have had Hello Dolly’s (my mom makes the best ones ever, btw…), cheese cake, or tarts. But I didn’t.

And it isn’t just desserts that are cheats….think of the mounds of pasta, greasy food, and general crap that you put into your body.

What you put into your body is a choice. Justifying a “cheat” will not do you any good, especially if you are working toward a very specific goal. It’s called a cheat for a reason.

So, I challenge all you you Operation Sexy Bod readers: Stop cheating.

No more “just this small bite”.

Stop with the “I’ve been so good! I deserve this cheat!”

Enough with the “I just need a taste.”

I guarantee that once you stop, it will be so easy for you to say “NO” and to have control over your body. Don’t let your food control you.

Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork.  ~English Proverb

written by Jess

I have been thinking a lot about choices this week, especially with food.

I was standing in Starbucks with my boyfriend, when I thought to myself “I could really just cheat and get one of these tempting frappuccinos, or drink half of his” but then I thought to myself “is it worth it?” Would that 10 minutes of refreshing goodness, be worth the guilt, the disappointment, and the hurt tummy. The answer was obviously no. I made a choice to focus on my fitness and nutrition goals, rather than giving into temptation.

There are times when we are in a rush and need to grab “a quick bite” before jetting off somewhere else. BUT you have the choice to eat something healthy or unhealthy, being in a rush or late is not an excuse for mauing down on a Double Down. You have the choice in where you go or what you buy. Maybe if you had to buy a salad from a grocery store everyday at lunch, you might realize you are spending a small fortune on something you could make for super cheap at home.  

So next time you find yourself in a rush and trying to find somewhere to eat, think about what choices you have around you and what your options are. Better yet, during the commercial break of American Idol prep all your meals for the next day. I promise it won’t take too long, and it will be worth it. OH and if you’re saying “I’m too busy for that” you best think of a better excuse. We are all busy.

As for that Starbucks drink, I’d rather be fit, healthy, and sexy than drink a nutrition-less, calorie-filled frozen treat.

“There are two choices. Two paths to take. One is easy. And it’s only reward is that it’s easy”

                                                                                                  -Anonymous