Merry Christmas!

Hey Everyone!

We wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! Spread the happiness all around you and enjoy yourself!

Stephanie & Monika xoxo

The Struggles with Body Image

Its confession time... In today's society so many women struggle with their body image. Every women wants to look a certain way...I had a young lady about 18 yrs old come up to me at the gym and say "You look awesome! I wish I could look as good as you and feel confident". The look in her eyes was heartbreaking. I could tell this beautiful young lady was struggling with her body image. Its not talked about often but so many female's struggle with their bodies. Even I have! I told her my story. How I struggled with the way I looked and how I struggled years with an eating disorder. Yup that's right I said eatingdisorder. Long story short at the end of the day I learned to love my body including my imperfections. It wasn't easy let me tell you but i worked super hard at it every single day and im so much more happy. Women have to learn to love their bodies for what it does and not so much for how it looks. Women need to focus on making the most of what they've got and think more positive about themself vs. thinking so negatively. So to all you women reading this hold your head a little higher and walk a little taller...You are all beautiful in your own way! :)

Stephanie xo

Just a little update

Hola my fellow Beastettes!

As you've probably noticed me and Monika have already started making changes to the blog. You are going to notice things changing until we both think its perfect!!! (ohhh the joys of being perfectionists...lol) If you want to see certain things or have any suggestions please feel free to contact us by email or by leaving a comment! We want to make this blog as useful as possible for all of you :)

Also just a little update on my bikini prep. The picture below is taken two week apart. I never really noticed any change since i started 4 weeks ago but after seeing these pictures side by side I do see I've leaned out a little, YAY! It's amazing what a good diet can do!

sorry about the poor quality!

Have a lovely weekend!

Stephanie xo

Steady State Cardio Vs. HIIT Cardio

Cardio, you either love it or you hate it! Some say you have to do hours of cardio and some say not to do any or very little. Some say its better to do steady state cardio and some say  HIIT (high intensity interval training) is the best way to go. With a lot of information being thrown around about cardio it’s easy to get confused about which route to take. I personally am not a lover of cardio, however cardio is important and I will explain why it is important and the difference between steady state and HIIT.

So why should we do cardio? Well the heart is a muscle and like every muscle in your body if you want to strengthen it then you have to work it. Cardiovascular activity places stress on the heart, it forces your heart to work! Not to mention the post-workout benefits of cardio; decreases resting heart rate and blood pressure, increases lung and heart rate volume, lowers LDL cholesterol and body fat and lastly, it improves circulation and strengthens connective tissue. The benefits go on but I think you get the point J

Steady State Vs. HIIT?

Steady state cardio is exactly that, it’s a cardio workout that is continuous with a steady effort. Steady state cardio is usually performed for a longer period of time versus HIIT training. HIIT is a little more intense, it is a short period of vigorous effort followed by a period of rest (and by rest I mean not as intense). Because the intensity is high, HIIT is not performed for a long period of time like steady state cardio can be. Below is a chart that lists some of the pros and cons of both steady state cardio and HIIT.

                                  Steady State                                                                            HIIT

ref;http://thehybridathlete.com/running-guide-training/

So which is better? Well that depends on both your goals and personal preference. I personally like doing both. Right now while prepping for my competition I am training both. I switch everyday between steady state and HIIT, I do both for 30 minutes each session. I usually do steady state on the Stairmaster and my HIIT on the Elliptical Cross Ramp. I sometimes try and do my HIIT training on the treadmill but I have horrible knees and running really irritates them! Also I like to perform both steady state and HIIT fasted, Yup that's right on an empty stomach! This is a whole other topic though so I won't go into detail with fasted cardio. Everyone is different and you need to do what works best for you!

 

Have a great day!

 

Stephanie xo.

6 Pack Lunch Bag

Okay if you don't have one of these well then you need to go and get one!! Seriously they are awesome and super convenient! I know you are probably thinking "okay Steph calm down it's just a lunch bag" But its not "just a lunch bag" it's "The lunch bag!!!" I just bought one over the weekend and I love it! I cant believe I didn't get one sooner! Its perfect if you are competing (or even if your not competing) because it has so much room to fit in your six meal oh and btw it comes with the containers, amazing right! Plus it comes with ice packs and a supplement holder! I got it from GNC, I looked on their website but for some reason it's only available in stores. Here is the website of the company that makes them :)

Stephanie xo

What a great weekend!

Hey everyone!

 

Can you believe its already December??!!! Craziness!  I hope everyone had a great weekend because I definitely did :) I got to spend it with the gorgeous and lovely Monika. Monika has been helping me with my bikini prep. She recently competed in a bikini competition and placed 2nd, she looked AMAZING! On Saturday we went to the last OPA fitness show of the year which was fun, followed by some shopping where we somehow ended up in the peanut butter aisle of the grocery store!! We may have a slight addiction ahaha! Then on Sunday we had a great booty and hamstring workout. After our workout Monika helped me with my posing, which BTW I'm getting more comfortable with :)

 

I have some exciting news that I will be announcing this week sometime! So keep checking back!!

 

Stephanie xo

 

My Biceps and Triceps Workout

Hi Everyone!

I got emails asking how I got my arms so toned so I thought I'd share ,y current workout with you all. My arms have always been toned due to my gymnastics background, so I haven't had to work too hard on building them. However maintaining is still a priority of mine! I train arms once a week, but remember when training chest, back and sometimes shoulders your arms are also being worked! #Winning lol. You will see that my coach has me doing supersets. What are supersets? Well its basically doing 2 or more exercises back to back, either working the same muscle or working different muscles. I love doing supersets!

 

Arm Workout:

Superset 1. Repeat 3 times

Cable Biceps Curls- 12 reps

Triceps Extension (rope)- 12 reps

 

Superset 2. Repeat 3 times

EZ Barbell Curl- 10 reps

Triceps Dips- 10 reps

 

Superset 3. Repeat 3 times

Dumbbell Biceps Curl- 10 reps

Dumbbell Overhead Extension - 10 reps

 

Stephanie xo

Tips When Buying Bikini Competition Heels

I'm not going to lie I feel like a fit version of Cinderella with these shoes!! Some people call them "stripper" shoes but I like to keep it classy so I'm going to go with Fit girl bikini shoes! I wish I had a guide to help me find these because it was a mission to get my hands on a pair that actually fit!!
If you are thinking of competing or are competing and looking for shoes I'm going to give you some tips :) First tip and probably the biggest tip i can give is buy local NOT online! I bought a pair online from the US, I ordered a size 9 but when I got them they were too small!! (they fit my mom who is a size 6). Trying them on instead of guessing if they will fit is a much better way of going about buying these shoes, it will save you time and stress. Make sure they fit the requirements for the competition you are competing in. different affiliations have different rules, I know for OPA they have to be 5inch and clear. Decide if you want a  more narrow toe or square toe. They say if you have a wide foot its better to get a more square like toe but honestly I preferred the more narrow toe. Do you want a little bling or do you want to keep it simple? I personally like to keep it simple so i got the clear ones with no diamonds, but the ones that i tried on with diamonds are very nice as well! Lastly, do you want an ankle strap or just a slip on? Okay this was a big thing for me, I originally wanted the ones with the ankle straps because i could just picture my foot slidding out of the slip on versions, but i actually found the slip on ones better!  These shoes are super snug and the strap that goes along the front of your foot comes up high so your foot should not slide. If you are not use to wearing heels its a good idea to just wear them around the house for practice. Yesterday I was prepping my meals in them :)

I bought mine from HERE : Contact Colleen (She is Awesome!!)

F.S.S Blogger xo

STAYING ON TRACK

For the next 18 weeks I have to pack and bring my meals everywhere i go (yes EVERYWHERE!!).  It's going to take time to get use to but it's important I stay on track. Nutrition is such a big part in geting ready for my show! #bikinprep :)

Have a great day!

F.S.F Blogger xo