Everyone has a different story. 
Why are you competing?
Some say it's because they want to do something for themselves. Some say it's because, well, why not? Some even say they're doing it because they want to win. Whatever the reason may be, people decided that they want to put their bodies through a ton of work both mentally and physically to walk on stage with a glazey tan and 6% body fat. It's a lot of dedication. It's a lot of freaking work.

Every prep is different, at least it has been for me. When I decided I wanted to compete, I had just gotten out of a serious relationship, had no confidence or self-worth, was pretty average at working out considering I had only been lifting for a year, and I knew how to walk in heels. That was it.
I decided to do the show because I needed to get better at all of those things for one, but mostly gain a little self-esteem. I didn't decide to do it because I thought I had the right body for it, but because a couple little birdies put a bug in my ear that made me think I could achieve something if I really put the right amount of time and effort into it. I don't know what happened between that prep and my prep for BCs, because it was really different let me tell you that. I think my biggest mistake was going into it thinking that I needed to be leaner, needed to be this, needed to be that. My point is, I put too much stress on my body that it stopped responding, or others may refer it to hitting a plateau. It's like a bodybuilders worst nightmare, all of a sudden I ain't see in' no gains homie! 
So what changed? It has now been 8 weeks since BCs, and I have seen more positive changes to my physique than ever before, including maintaining my stage weight like, what?! In these 8 weeks I have the IDGAF attitude about dieting, instead adding more flexibility and not stressing about the fact that my granola to yogurt ratio this morning was like 3:1. That's the thing, no longer stressing in this 'off season' or 'on season' or whatever it may be, has made me fall in love with lifting all over again. Like can we get a load of how nice it is to have callouses all over your hands...
Backtrack.
What I am trying to get out here is that there are far too many competitors these days that are falling out of love with the process. And why?! Because they are putting too much pressure on themselves to be a certain way, when they should just trust that their bodies will just do their thing and provide the best results with better attitude. Love the process, for real.

Since BCs ended I have had plenty of time to re-evaluate my training, goals, mindset and perspective of the fitness industry. I still wake up STOKED to lift, like today I flew out of bed knowing it was leg day for me and I got to go make some serious booty gains by throwing a bar on my back (no my ass didn't grow itself).
I still love it. Everything, the sweat, the pain, the hanger, everything. I also still plan to compete in the future (date - TBA), and fully intend on utilizing this contagious positive energy I'm getting off of people lately in my next prep whenever that may be. It's addicting.
For those who follow my journey, you are all my inspiration. You all light up my life. You are the reason why I am still in love with the process. 
POSITIVE ATTITUDE = POSITIVE MINDSET = POSITIVE RESULTS.


All my love.

<3

Sometimes I wonder why people would pay money to go to McDonalds and get preservative-loaded garbage when they can take 10 minutes out of their day to prepare an unreal meal that won't leave your stomach feeling like you just ate a loaf of Wonder bread chased with Crisco.
Gross right?
And you wonder why fast food is so affordable.

So some nights I like to play the 'awesome daughter' card and make my dad a mean meal that he will benefit from. Some of you may know, my dad has been battling cancer on and off for the last two years, so I have worked him into a lower-sugar diet with higher protein, simply because cancer likes to fest in high-sugar environments. We have been able to cut out all bread and sugary pops (aka Pepsi and Gatorade) and replaced it with water with lemons and a little club soda. Winning! When I was driving home from the beach the other day I thought, oh how good would a burger taste right now... and of course the wheels got turning. 
Earlier that day I pulled out a package of ground turkey thinking I'd use them for turkey meatloaf for meal prep, but I think this was a way better choice! 
"How do you feel about some bun-less burgs tonight, Dad?"

Alright here's what you're going to need.

Ingredients:
*A package of extra lean ground turkey
*4 egg whites
*1/3 cup gluten-free oats
*1/4 tsp sea salt
*1 large celery stock, finely chopped
*1 shallot, finely chopped
*1 tsp minced garlic
*Lemon pepper Mrs. Dash or Epicure Sansel, your choice. Montreal steak spice would be pretty good too

Mash all the ingredients in a bowl and form into patties. I made 4 patties with this recipe. These burgers are pretty soft so be careful when you put them on the barbecue. Grill over medium heat, making sure that the edges are cooked enough before you flip or they might fall apart. These are fragile little guys so you must be gentle, even though I know you're all hungry.

Once the burgers were cooked, I set them over a bed of grilled asparagus (my favourite), which I just did with some coconut oil and sea salt in a grilling pan over the barbecue. 2-3 minutes is usually good, mushy greens aren't a good time. 

I topped the burgers with some avocado cilantro dress, and sliced tomatoes and avocado. The best part is that these burgers were just enough, and well balanced. I got the approval from my Dad (the pickiest when it comes to a decent burger), so I'm happy :)

Let me know what you all think! These were great to end a hot summer day, and a fresh way to indulge in the typical burger.

Happy Saturday lovelies.

<3