It's been 9 months, but 8 weeks... what does that even mean?
9 months ago that I told myself that I would be consistent in working out and really be serious about it. For years all my friends can say I been saying "I'll have abs come summer."
A little bit of back story I've pretty much been active all my life, I did dance,cheer, stunting, sports, running. We get older metabolism gets slower... and your body just changes.
I've had 2 trainers between the last 4 years I've lost a lot of weight... then built tiny muscles... then felt like I out grown them because I didn't feel like I was getting the proper attention specifically for my body + lifestyle. I've always been told you shouldn't lift so heavy- you don't want to look manly + muscular. I have an athletic background, muscles are beautiful and very attractive, especially on woman. With that being said, that's all I ever wanted.
2018, was probably the heaviest I've ever been I am 4'11 and 128 lbs is very big on my tiny self. I needed to make a change, love myself, and go back to the healthy lifestyle I once knew.
(Oct 2018-Oct 2019) (Dec 2019 - January 2020) (Current)
So that's just what I did... Summer, last year I started working out, meal prepping, reading more into fitness, researching different supplements, having workout dates almost every day with my best friend at the same time I met Mar. If you follow me on Instagram you might see hashtags like #MARmovement #MARmode #trainlikeMAR. Mar has a group of beautiful friends who all support each other, and this was around the time I had met her, and I happened to love fitness as well. They all started this movement where every time someone worked out they tagged her and posted themselves working out inspiring their followers to do the same. if you don't know MAR- @marlorenae follow her. She has the love for hair + fitness instant connection, because that's totally me! I always would reply to her stories like, can you train me? Let me just tell you, when you are a fitness fanatic and people see results everyone wants you to train them or tell you their secrets... so you just know what was going through her brain right? Like okaaay, you're not serious- but I was so serious.
It all started I would go to the gym on my own consistently, would watch all her workouts on her instagram stories & do them. Eventually I finally went to the gym with her and she would work out with me- but still was learning my strength. Everyone's body type is different, and working out is a customized thing. Patience is totally key, You have to understand transforming your body is a process and you have to trust the process. It is also a lifestyle, something about me is I always wanted to challenge my body, my goal was to compete in a bikini competition. This is still my goal, finding out Mar has competed in 2, going on her 3rd was super inspiring. It takes a strong mind to get through something like that. You not only have to be strong physically but mentally- super disciplined. It's not for everyone, and not everyone can go through something like that.
I knew come end of the year Mar was going to go on prep. For those new to the fitness world, prep is 12-16 weeks you prep your body before a fitness competition. I thought to myself, not only do I want to challenge my body + mind, but also support her and do it with her. Mar is 4 weeks out of competing her 3rd competition, along with training me still. This is the first time in my fitness lifestyle I've seen the biggest transformation in my body. I didn't realize it till a few weeks ago, again it is a process and you yourself don't see your body changing until you look back at pictures. I constantly wear baggy tees + over jeans or leggings, so I already don't reveal my body. However the clients that see me every 8 weeks seems to always see the difference. I constantly am being told "omg you lost so much weight"... and I'm like ummmm really? Because those numbers on the scale drop reaaaal slow lol. I go to Nutrishop often, a supplement store that has a In body Machine that calculates your weight, muscle mass, body fat percentage + more. That is pretty much how I track my progress. Yes, you can watch the scale the number will drop, but muscle is much denser than fat and you may be dropping body fat, meaning you are getting leaner.
What I think the secret is? Stair master. Minutes update: 60 mins. Just Kidding. It a combination of everything. A diet of a lot of protein + Carbs to fuel you while you burn excessive amount of calories at the gym. I completely cut out dairy. I eat every 2 hours, in a portion control with almost, and I say almost because sometimes I miss 6x a week of stair master. If you asked me 2 years ago how long I can last on the stair master I would tell you probably 15 mins. It really has been a mind game of training yourself that it is Mind over Matter and I promise you if you have a dope playlist and a list of Netflix shows you can last 60 mins. Thats all It comes down to being distracted.
I honestly just followed Mar's routine, maybe not as strict as her but pretty much the same. Her prep is designed for her body, so even If I did the same exact thing it would affect my body differently. Working out with her I've literally learned so much about fitness than I ever have. I now know how to count my Macros. Macros is the total amount of Fats, Protein, and Carbs. Why didn't I ever know that with having 2 trainers.... Have no Idea. I now understand the importance of consuming supplements, Muscles need to recover, you also need to replenish your body giving it the nutrients it needs.
Let's just talk about how hard it really is... Social Media is a small snip of what I even do. I don't have a lot of content behind the scenes of me physically working out. More just a bunch of sweaty selfies + me during home stretch of finishing my minutes on the stair master. I've literally have taken this so serious that you'll find me in the salon measuring lightener while my chicken + rice is in the microwave, and mixing lightener during a Balayage while eating it in like 50 seconds... You just gotta do what you gotta do.
Sometimes I'm on the go and I have my meals with me and now learned every 7-eleven has microwaves so that's my new pit stop to warm up my meals, grab a big gulp cup fill it with ice & put it in my BCAA's before a workout or my protein shakes...or even chopping down on a few rice cakes on the go...There really is no excuse, it's about how bad you want it. The sacrifices you make, is the most rewarding of it all. Stevia is my new best friend, and If you go to a restaurant to eat just ask how many oz the protein is along with take a scale with you. Of course you don't need to do this on a regular every day diet, this is because every calorie counts when it comes to a competition. So if you over eat, it will definitely show. The push through the diet, cardio sessions, and weight increase when lifting is something mentally I've never really been through consistently.
Fitness has always lead me to being positive and pushing me through my hardest points in my life. The reason why I hashtag and post #trainlikeMAR is because going through training with her is just different. I've always had male trainers, and I don't know if it's because Mar understands the way her body has transformed through her competitions, so it's a different experience with a woman, but what I can say is if you train like her, you mentally push like her. Surrounding yourself with people that want to help you accomplish something makes a big difference and impact in someones life.
I want people to understand having a trainer is so important even when you already have been working out. You learn new things about yourself, and you can push harder knowing that person is right in front of you motivating you that you can do it. Health + Fitness + Beauty are the biggest key factors in someones everyday life. It's important to stay educated and know what is going on through out your body.
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