Amanda Adams

Everyone, yes even me, has those days where you can’t motivate yourself for anything!! No matter how many times you remind yourself why you started this fitness journey or flip through pages of girls that usually inspire you, you suddenly find yourself sitting on the couch w a bag of cookies  just feeling sorry for yourself. I’m not gunna sit here and say “snap out of it!” “come on, be grateful for what you have!!” “it could be worse!!”. No, I won’t say those things because sometimes, just hearing that from someone does the opposite of motivate you. It makes you feel even worse. Sometimes people forget how much other things going on in their life can affect them when it comes to fitness and other aspects of life. It has nothing to do with being un-grateful, lazy, or a “quitter.” You might of just hit a wall! Stress at work, financial problems, family, working out, etc etc!! And depending on how fast you were running and how hard you hit that wall, will affect how you get back up. Some may take a couple days, a week, or even months! The fact is, if you don’t start properly treating each wound you got from that hit, they will take longer to heal, and you’ll have scars the rest of your life. (I’m such an analogy girl, I’m just a visual person lol)

Okay so, you’ve hit a wall… HARD! Now what? Take a couple days to sit and reflect on everything in your life. Your family, work, friends, goals, etc. What’s really bothering you or really making you feel just not…you? Once you start to figure out the root of whats holding you back, everything will slowly start coming together again. I didn’t realize (or never wanted to) how much my family issues were affecting me with work, self esteem, being proud of myself, feeling good, etc. I would go a couple of weeks or even a month and be Superwoman. Then, something would rip that bandaid off (and instead of treating it properly) I’d just throw a bandaid on it to just “cover it up” and be down in the dumbs again. I didn’t want to workout, eat healthy, talk to anyone, nothing! The fact is, yes we ALL have really hard days, and everyone deals with them differently. No ones problems or insecurities are worse than someone elses, and will all deal with them in a different way. However, we all have the opportunity to get better! Not perfect, just better!

I challenge everyone to start figuring out what aspects of your life you may be trying to “forget about” or “dust off.” Maybe it’s your job, family, a friend, illness, working out, etc. It takes a strong person to “deal with it” and “move on.” But it takes an even stronger person to actually face it, find a solution, and start fresh!

Let’s all start with these:
-Start slow 
-Try to be a “better you” not a “perfect you”
-You don’t have to have the “all or nothing” mindset. Because if you make a mistake along the way, you might feel as if you failed.

-List things that make you happy, and do those things MORE!
-Breath, it will all work out in the end :)

Time to Vent: For those of you that have been following me for awhile, you are all familiar with my bad luck with cars. Well after spending tons of money I thought my car was finally fixed. It has just been one of those weeks, where so much was going on with just…everything, that I was so excited to just drive to my photoshoot and only think about the words to my favorite Xmas songs! Well after a great 3hr drive of singing as loud as I could…my car BREAKS DOWN!! (Oh, did I mention I drive 30min the wrong way too? yep). I honestly just sat and started laughing. Not only am I in an area that I’m not familiar with, but I’m almost 3 hrs away from where I live! I call the photographer and we try and get it jumped off multiple times while locals in the downtown area try and sale us lipsticks out of a plastic bag….haha. No hope. We decide to go get some of the shoot done. Obviously that was awesome.     I love transforming into “model mode” and just forgetting about anything crazy going on in life… Then BAM back to reality! Called the dealership and they explained to me how sorry they were but there was no way they would be able to get to it that day, and would have to wait for the morning. The first thing that came to mind was me missing work for another day and then missing my boyfriends first home basketball game (he’s a coach). This is when I started crying (such a baby) haha. I snapped out of that and realized “Well, crying won’t do anything except smear all this amazing makeup….” Thankfully, one of my best friends in the Fitness Industry, Bo Shin, lives in Birmingham and offered to take me back to my car to wait for the tow truck and let me stay with her! After waiting for 2 hours for the nice guy to get there, and cheering him on as he loaded my car onto his truck and then cheering him on even more after my keys got locked inside while in the ignition. His face was priceless when he looked back as the car is half way on the truck and asked “Um…mam, did you lock the car?” I thought…”Yes, I thought this would be a great time for some practical jokes…” and again start laughing because, if course my car would lock with they keys in the ignition. He apologizes and explains that this has never happened and tried for 30min to unlock it (but of course its the hardest car to unlock). I explain to him that he doesn’t need to apologize, and I was thankful for his help. I instead apologized that he was picked to come tow my car, because crazy things always happen to me. Everything ends up great, I wish him a Merry Christmas, and end up having a fun night with a good friend. 

So, now it’s the next day and I’ve been chillin in the service waiting room for 2 hours (still have 2.5 more hrs) and trying not to cry with the cost of it. Instead of being frustrated, annoyed, and stressed…I decided to snuggle up on this nice black leather chair and think of all the things I am thankful for from this experience.

- Thankful I even HAVE a car to worry about. There are a ton of people who don’t have the choice to drive 3 hours somewhere when they want too.

- Thankful that my car was in a safe place, that I wasn’t in a wreck, and that it wasn’t anything worse.

-Thankful it was sunny outside and not raining/storming. (Even though that would make the story even better) ;)

-Thankful there are people that don’t even hesitate to help you out when they are busy with their own stuff.

-Thankful I got the opportunity to work with one of the best photographers who is more of a therapist and life coach to me than anything.

-Thankful that I have patience. There are some people that honestly have anxiety attacks over situations they can’t control. If I can’t control it, I laugh then think “Okay I can’t control this..what can I control in this situation. What’s next”

I hope everyone realizes that days like this are always going to happen. I know for a fact days like this will happen to me again haha. But instead of getting upset about it, remember “there is NOTHING you can do about it. But you can take a deep breath and control how you react to the situation. Stay positive. There is always a reason for something. 

Well, hope you all have a great weekend! If ya need me, I’ll be here hanging out with my new best friends at the VW Lounge! (Volkswagen Service Room)

Hey everyone!! Alright, even though I have only been in the industry for 3 years, I feel like I have learned A TON! I also know I have lots to keep learning. But, I do get these questions pretty much everyday- “How do you get involved in the Industry?” “How do you become a Fitness Model?” “Do you have to compete to be published?” “How did you become a Sponsored Athlete?”

Step 1: Figure out what your goal is!

Do you want to compete? Do you want to be published in your favorite magazine? Do you want to be sponsored athlete? Do you want to do all of the above?

• Competing: Remember, competing can be EXPENSIVE!! This is not a career for most competitors. Hotel stay, suit, tanning, hair, jewelry, etc… It’s literally a pageantt! But, competing is SO MUCH FUN! It’s definitely something I encourage everyone to try out if they are needing a big goal to keep them on track with workouts/nutrition. You meet tons of people! But… competing can be a slippery slope too. (I will feature this in another blog soon). Make sure you compete for fun, have lots of people behind you supporting you the whole way, and have a coach/trainer/nutritionist to help you prep before AND AFTER.  There are a ton of federations out there, and I encourage everyone to try them all out and see which one fits best for you! Each federation has different poses, different suits, magazine connections, supplement sponsors, etc. Next time you open up your favorite magazine whether it be Oxygen, Muscle and Fitness Hers, Fitness RX, Inside Fitness, etc, what competitions are they highlighting? What competitors and models are they featuring? Research the federations and girls that are featured! No, you don’t have to compete to be published or be sponsored. However, it does help to get your name out there! Doesn’t mean you have to win 1st place, you just have to be “Marketable”, have a awesome personality, and show companies that you can relate to others!

• Modeling: If your goal is to grace the pages for more than just competing, then you are going to need great pictures!! Now I talk to a ton of girls that will tell me “I’ve worked with lots of “fitness” photographers!” But then they tell me the photographers name, and I have NEVER heard of them. I ask them “What magazine has he/she been featured in?” And they go….”I don’t know?”. Here we go again. If you are wanting to be in the magazines that you see your favorite models in, then you need to work with photographers that…. you see in your favorite magazines!! Next time you are flipping through the pages, look in the corners, the page bindings, for the photographers names. THAT is who you want to work with! Sometimes yes, you will need to invest some money to work with these great photographers. But once you have great pictures, it will be easier to “promote” yourself to other companies, other photographers, magazines, etc. You need to have a variety of pictures too. When “submitting” pictures to magazines you need to submit pictures that’s simliar to the ones you actually see in that magazine

• Sponsored Athlete: Do you know how many people compete, model, or “LOVE” the fitness industry? If you have ever been to the Arnold or Olympia, you would see how many people would love to work a booth or be a sponsored athlete! It’s such an amazing opportunity (thanks OhYeah!!), but you have to give companies a reason to want to sponsor you. Do you have great pictures to send them? Do you use their products and know about them? Do you know the industry (magazine editors, competitors, federations, etc)? Do you even know who the editor of Oxygen Magazine and Muscle and Fitness is? (no, they aren’t the same haha). Do you have a story or a personality that people can relate too? Are you fun to work with and are going to be loyal to the company? If so, THEN SHOW THEM!! If you love the industry then get your name out there! Before I became sponsored, I worked at a tanning salon during the week and bartended on the weekends in my college town. I worked A TON and saved my money to work with Satio Photography to get some awesome pictures, then worked even more to book a flight/hotel to Vegas for Olympia and Ohio for Arnold. I met as many photographers, editors, competitors, etc as possible! I made sure I introduced myself to everyone!! haha After that, I was HOOKED and didn’t give up! You have to figure out what you want your “role” to be in the industry. Fitness Model? Fitness Personality? Fitness Competitor? Fitness Writer? etc… etc..

Step 2: Get Involved or join a team!!

Now, you don’t have to know every little part of the industry like me. Seriously, I love it though. I follow every NPC/IFBB show, WBFF Show, Fitness America Show, read every magazine, etc!! But the more you know, the more you stay updated with which photographers you want to work with, what magazines support the shows you want to compete in, what supplement companies support the training you do. Another great idea if you are wanting to get more involved in the competition side of the industry is joining a team!! There’re a TON of teams out there!! And everyone is amazing at what they do. But, you have to find which team supports your values, training, federation, magazines, etc etc. I’ve loved everything about being part of Cathy Savage Fitness from their diet, workouts, support system, etc. However, I have tons of friends in the industry that are part of Team Bombshell, Oddo’s Angels, Hitch Fit, etc and love them too!! I’m a fan of any team that helps get girls to the goal they want!! And some girls/guys have different goals, that’s why you have to do your research. Find out what magazines you want to be published in, what federation you want to compete in, what supplement companies you’d like to be sponsored by and see which team supports your favorite! Joining a team is awesome for the support system during a show and just helping you with hair, makeup, suit choice, publications, etc!

Step 3: BE YOU!!!

Once you have all your goals in order and how you would like to see yourself in the industry, then do it!!! My biggest advice is to start off being you… and STAY BEING YOU!!! Don’t let anything/anyone change your values, beliefs, etc (unless it’s for the best). Remember, majority of the people in the industry that are “Pros”, published models, sponsored athletes, have other CAREERS!!! Competing, being sponsored, and being published is like a big cherry on top of their other accomplishments!! So remember to BE YOU first and STAY YOU!!

Hope this helped out a little! If you ever have ANY questions! I’m always here to help!! :)

WOW!! My boyfriend and I went out this weekend with some friends we’ve known since high school. Which for some reason…. my mindset goes straight back to high school. Which is fine, I’m sure a lot of people go down “memory lane” and remember the “fun days”…. (I’m acting like I am 55 or something…haha) Anyways, you get the picture. This group knows how to party, we’ve been pros for years. My boyfriend and I were excited to go have some fun and laughed at how hard it was going to be to stay up past 10:30 (very funny if you knew us in high school or 6 months ago in college haha). Long story short…the night was a blast!!! So much fun running around with not a care in the world. Drinking, laughing, dancing, etc… you honestly don’t think about anything but that moment. The next morning I woke up with that guilty feeling in my stomach… I did something I shouldn’t of. It seemed fun at the time and I didn’t think twice…. Waffle House. haha Yep, a little different “guilty” feeling than I use to wake up with, thank God, but still haha. Now, I’m not saying eating Waffle House after a fun night out is terrible. No not at all!! But… if you are more aware of the affects of alcohol when trying to lose weight or not gain weight. It might help!!

• Oh the Calories: 7 calories per gram-nearly as many calories as pure fat! There can be 200 calories in just one large glass of wine! That’s like eating two Kit Kat Bars! Two beers: 300 calories- that’s a whole meal! These are also EMPTY calories. Which means they have no nutritional value!
• Bring on the food!!: Why do most of us not crave chicken with veggies after a night out?? Why does it have to be Waffle House, Taco Bell, Gold Pantry? Alcohol stimulates our appetite and reduces our self-control. Which is why we tend to grab salty and fatty foods, and not think twice about it.
• Time for the gym!! First thing on your mind after a hard night out right? Everyone experiences different hangovers and we all know those people who act like superman the next day. But the majority of us will experience the awesome headache, sluggish, unmotivated, lay around and eat fatty foods! Alcohol can completely change your mood in a second. You can be super pumped and ready for life, and all of a sudden think laying around doing nothing is the best choice… :/
• Trying to lose weight?? Alcohol reduces the amount of fat your body burns for energy. Our bodies can’t store alcohol. Therefore, it has to get rid of it first instead of getting rid of the fat we were working on!! The calories in alcohol are metabolised by our bodies instead of burning fat and absorbing nutrients!! So you might “feel” skinner the next day since alcohol makes you dehydrated, but in a couple of days…. get ready haha
• Picture Time!! Obviously alcohol affects your health a lot. But the more immediate affects you can see is your hair, nails, skin, etc. Alcohol dehydrates the skin and depletes it of essential nutrients, making your skin appear dull and tired. Dang it!

Okay so… point of this blog?? Make you feel awful about yourself? Not at all!! Trust me, I am still going to have my fun night outs on the town!! BUT if you do have a goal you are trying to hit with weight loss….then you might want to think about stepping back some on your night outs!

• Switch up your drinks some when you are out. Less sugary mixes! Cranberry and Orange juice does NOT mean it’s healthy ;) 
• Drink as much water as you can throughout the night! Vodka/water with lemon and lime or Vodka and Sugar Free Red Bull is usually my choice ;) 
• If you are going to have those crazy nights, then don’t fall completely off the wagon the next couple of days. Take that day to do what you need to feel better and “relax”. However, the next day, it’s back to working your butt off!!
• If you do get off track after a fun night… don’t stress over it and DON’T just “give up”. Remember how fun the night was, and then get back to feeling good about yourself! Maybe the next time you go out you will be wearing a sexy dress 2 sizes smaller ;)

 I will always be Team Fun, but Team Strong-Team Healthy-Team Feel Good About Yourself… always comes first ;)

October 24, 2011 - First Measurements/Stats

I won’t lie -  I was NERVOUS to get my measurements, body fat, etc. From being known as “The Fitness Girl” and expecting to look “fit” all the time… I was nervous my numbers would be different than how I felt. Then realized… WHOA that is NOT how I am. I never care about how much I weigh or my body fat. BUT I do know that the past 5 months I just got off track. I moved cities, new job, new town, new schedule, new EVERYTHING. Before I start this challenge I want everyone out there to know that… THIS IS A GREAT WEIGHT, BODY FAT, SIZE, ETC for someone my age. However, for myself, fitness shoots, demos, expos, etc… I feel better about myself when I am a little leaner. Therefore, please do not think that I am doing this because I think I “look fat”… NO! I just feel better about myself when I am a little leaner :) Therefore, I want to take it up a notch!

MY Stats/Mesurements:

Height: 5’3

Weight: 130

Body Fat: 28%

Pulse: 98

Blood Pressure: 117/69

Arm Relaxed: 9”

Arm flexed: 11.5”

Shoulder: 39”

Waist: 27.5”

Hips: 34.5”

Thigh: 18”

Calf: 14”

Crunches in 1min: 51

Push-ups in 1min: 33

My Goals:

-Decrease my body fat

-Lose about 10-15lbs

-Leaner arms and abs

-Increase my aerobic endurance (I just HATE running… and I don’t want to hate it haha)

-Stronger!! More pushups in a minute :)

-More flexible

For all of you that have been following my mom earlier this year, she lost 30lbs since Jan! However, just like any normal person, she got off track as well. I wasn’t able to come home as much to check on her meal plan, train her, etc… just got off track. Therefore, we decided WE ARE DOING THIS TOGETHER. To show you all that no matter what size or goal, with eating healthy and training hard, YOU CAN get the body you feel best in :)

Moms Stats/Measurements: (Smoker and currently on blood pressure medicine)

Age: 54

Height: 5’3

Weight: 215

Body Fat: 47%

Pulse: 76

Blood Pressure: 143/104

Arm Relaxed: 13”

Arm flexed: 14.5”

Shoulder: 47”

Waist: 43”

Hips: 46”

Thigh: 23”

Calf: 17”

Crunches in 1min: 27

Push-ups in 1min: 2

Moms Goals:

-Lose 60lbs (not expected in 3 months, but wants to get on track to that number)

-Feel good in a tank top, toned arms

-Be able to run on her own

-Sleep better

-Flatter stomach

-Increase pushups

-Decrease body fat and gain muscle!!

3 MONTHS HERE WE GO!!!!!