Curious about what goes along with competing?

Here is a GREAT interview!
GOD I FRIGGEN LOVED THIS

http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/ep-35-in-the-trenches-fitness/

Turning Tables

I have said this before yes I know.  Oh what a different a year makes :)

This time last year I had finished up my first PEAK WEEK and was getting ready for my first walk on the Figure Stage.
This year the tables have turned and I am taking my first client to the stage!


Not only is this woman my client but she is an amazing woman and beautiful friend!


Now for the guessing game
WHO's WHO!?!?

Wish her luck :)))))))))

INBF Northeast Classic and WNBF Pro American- Prejudging 9 AM Finals 5 PM!
Marlborough MA

FUTURE OF FITNESS

Many of you who have known me for quite sometime, know about my addiction to Oxygen Magazine since I was a young girl.

I'm not the cover model but I'm in the June issue!

Oxygen Future of Fitness

“You’re going somewhere, but I’ve been to somewhere, and I found it was nowhere at all.”

-Scott Abel

This guy is one person in this industry who isn't afraid to talk about the darker side of what can happen when you compete. 

Make sure you understand that I am not saying this happens to every girl who steps on stage but it DID happen to me and it happened to the EXTREME. 

When life hands you Lemons make Lemonade

I'm baaaackkkkk.

Scapular tracking for shoulder health and symmetry

In the sport of Figure, symmetry is EVERYTHING! Being lean brings out imbalances EVEN MORE because there is no fat to cover em up come stage time!

When I first began posing practice for figure the winging in my right scapula was BLATANTLY OBVIOUS.  Posing coaches will tell me to lean to the side or contort myself into some crazy position that felt like SH*T, but hey its all about the symmetry they'd say... beauty takes pain ;)

I am lucky to work alongside one of the greatest corrective exercise guys in the biz :)  He lives, eats breathes this stuff. Alignment, activation and symmetry are his forte.

Here is an awesome exercise that forces your scapula to track properly!

Working out versus Training

Courtesy of Coach Nick:

There's working out and there's training. 

Training is when you have a progressive plan with measurable goals and continual challenges. 

Working out is anything that makes you sweaty and tired but not necessarily bigger or stronger because it lacks consistency, direction and specificity.

Long time no see guys :)

I have been struggling a little lately with time and feelings and have not blogged as much as I would like to.  I will have a new computer soon so you will see more of me :)


YES, I have prepared for a Figure Competition before.
NO, each time a girl prepares it is NOT THE SAME.  


Each time you go through the process, you have new experiences and encounter different obstacles. 

For instance I have been through the diet before so now I know the challenges that lie ahead, but that doesn't mean it will be easier ;)


Seeing as I ended up accepting my PRO CARD with the WNBF I will now be competing at the PRO level.  This is a completely different ballgame than Novice or Open Division. I will find myself amongst the elite, women who have worked for years to develop their physiques.


I have no expectations for my first PRO show I am just going to take it all in.


What I do have are goals.  
GOALS to go in HARDER and BIGGER overall, with specific focus on my legs and shoulders.


I have to admit its been tough to put on weight for this process. Even when you are doing it on purpose, its hard to stay positive when you see your body changing.
THERE I SAID IT.


I am definitely getting BIGGER and STRONGER. 
Therefore my TRAINING is working.


I have learned OH SO MANY VALUABLE lessons throughout this process.  When I first made the decision to compete I gave several reasons and one of them was to relate to my clients when they were on a strict nutrition plan. 
Now I can add to my resume the ability to empathize with them when their weight fluctuates and the emotions that go along with that.  This ability is VERY POWERFUL and something new to me.  And I believe it gives me another advantage when communicating with clientele.


I will continue to be positive and grateful and have faith in the process, REMINDERS are always welcome in case I forget ;)

WWW.BODYBUILDING.COM

:))))))))

Please check it out!

http://www.bodybuilders.com/stacy-schaedler.htm

It has definitely been a crazy few weeks and trying to reestablish life as I knew it before has proven difficult.  I have not been as dedicated to my yoga practice as I would like to be and it is showing in my moods.  My mind has been getting the best of me more often then usual and that as you know DOES NOT WORK IN YOUR FAVOR.
Right now I am in my hypertrophy phase of strength training and I am eating like a horse. What a mind f*ck!  I just keep telling myself that I need to eat to lift and lift for strength so that when I lean out again there is a nice surprise underneath :)
I went to my first yoga class in a long time last night, it was beyond amazing. Beyond healing, beyond exactly what I needed :)
It was interesting to observe the changes that were going on in my yoga practice as well...
 and observe is what I did.

I didn't judge...in fact I laughed about it.


Physically I felt stronger than ever, I could have held those 1/2 pushups all night ;0
My breath on the other hand was as shallow as it has ever been. My exhales were long but my inhales were stifled.  This is what I must be breathing like throughout the day....thus my wonderful moods and crazy brain.

The craziest discovery was yet to come. TWISTING. I couldn't twist for SHIT.  It was not my thoracic it was my stomach.  

YES this was me before my second show. NO this is not me now. But my stomach is definitely still feeling the effects of being so tight.

A lot of us want a 6 pack, but do we ever think that maybe its not so functional after all?

I ended up having an amazingly different experience in class because of my struggle with breath and inability to twist. I take it as a reminder of where I have been and the level I have gotten to.

For now I will keep breathing, ease into my twists and continue to backbend even though I feel like I'm being stretched on the RACK!  

My yoga practice lets me be me.  It allows me to be in my body, feel strong, and express myself and realize all that is important to me.

Perfect Quotation to explain my recent feelings:

We can only see so much from where we sit in our particular bodies, in the midst of our particular lives. The divine is unlimited in its sight. We can only see so much from where we sit in our particular bodies, in the midst of our particular lives, rooted as we are in the continuum of space and time. The divine, on the other hand, is not limited to the constructs of either space or time, and its wisdom and workings often elude us as we try to make sense of what is happening in our lives. This is why things are not always what they seem to be and even the best-laid plans are sometimes overturned. Even when we feel we have been guided by our intuition every step of the way, we may find ourselves facing unexpected loss and disappointment. At times like these, we can find some solace in trusting that no matter how bad or just plain inexplicable things look from our perspective, they are, in fact, in divine order. Even as we take our places in this earthly realm, a part of us remains completely free of the confines we face here. Regardless of what is happening in our lives, this part of us remains infused with joy and gratitude, connected to the unbroken source from which we come. Our small self, on the other hand, who is caught up in our false identity as a being limited in space and time, regards happiness as the result of things going the way it wants them to go. It is this part of us that suffers the greatest confusion and upset when the logic of events does not compute. And it is to this self that we must extendunconditional love, forgiveness, and compassion. In order to do this, we tap into our inner divinity, holding the space of a tender authority, extendinglove and light to our ego as a mother extends her love to a troubled child. There are many ways to access our inner divinity—meditation, prayer, chanting, channeling, and conscious breathing, to name a few. It is helpful to develop a regular practice that provides us access to this all-powerful, healing presence, as it can be difficult to reach once we are in a stressful position, if we have not already established a connection. The more connected we are with this part of ourselves, the more we share its unlimited vision and the secure, knowing that all the things of our life, no matter how they appear, are in a state of divine and perfect order. 

Thanks Jeannie Parkus ;)

Back to Yoga

Now that I have my life back and have gotten over eating various peanut butter flavors for breakfast lunch and dinner I have come back to the little things I have missed SO MUCH these past several months.

While cleaning my apartment I knocked over both my door hangers that say "GONE TO YOGA" and "NAMASTE" NUMEROUS TIMES...I figured this was a clearly a sign so I went to see David at SOBOYO even though I clearly still look like an

 I also watered and rearranged my deck flowers, grilled some YUMMY veggies and slow cooked some kick ass chili. AHHHHH  I am back.

Here's a little peak at my freestyle yoga flow after a hardcore leg day.  I would NEVER strength train without yoga and I would NEVER practice yoga without strength training.

We know how I won't be caught dead without a headband at work or working out, so Suzannah the creator of FRESH KARAT was awesome and sent me some new samples of her headbands.  I LOVE this one :)

How it all went down

As you can see, nothing happens overnight.  
People have asked me time and time again why I chose to do a Figure Competition...

• I LOVE LIFTING HEAVY and being challenged.
• I wanted a concrete goal with a specific date.
• I have a lot of food allergies (thus a restricted diet) so I felt I might as well dabble in restricting it further and see some results.
• I put clients on nutrition plans all the time, never having actually been on a hardcore one myself...how can I  pretend to know what they are going through?
• Confidence has never been my strong suit, being able to get up in front of strangers half naked...well I think you have to be somewhat confident to do that ;)
• I love dressing up on occasion, so why not dress up in a suit that costs as much as a wedding dress and pretend to be Barbie for the day!

In November of last year I was strong and in good shape. I could do sets of 6 body weight pull ups, clean and press a 24 KG kettlebell and Turkish Get Up a 36 KG (yes I mean KG) bell.  I weighed in at 131 lbs.  The first 3 1/2 months of training I did not diet.  I was trying to put on mass so that when I leaned out there would actually be muscle there :)  For females, this in itself can be challenging.  I admit, I didn't love putting on weight but I had to have faith in the process.
As a personal trainer myself I loved reading Coach Nick Tumminello's work and decided to give him a call to see if he would take me on as a long distance client.  I loved how he kept his Figure Girls functional and trained them like the athletes they are.  For the first time in my life I was establishing a REAL STRENGTH TRAINING FOUNDATION :) I trained 5-6 days a week Upper Body Lower Body Splits and NO CARDIO.  My weight went up by about 5 lbs due to Nick's program design alone! Next time around I will definitely start my nutrition earlier to aid in putting on good mass.


It was not the smoothest of sailing when I started my nutrition. To make a long story short, it turned out that meat was not going to work for me.  BONNIE LEFRAK worked tirelessly to create a plan that would work for me! We played around with legumes and beans and fish until finally we found a solution.  Bonnie is a PRO, she f*cking knows what she is doing and once you have gone through her program there's no denying it :))))


I have never met Coach Nick Tumminello and I have met Bonnie once before my training started...pretty crazy eh!  Anything is possible!




I kept the fact that I was doing a second show this past weekend a little on the DL.   But I wanted to let you all know that thanks to my team of supporters I placed first in OPEN FIGURE MEDIUM and went on to be the INBF OVERALL FIGURE WINNER at Fulton's Fitness Pro Qualifier.


I WON MY PRO CARD :)

Proper Progression, Compliance and Perseverance = RESULTS

NOVEMBER 2009

JANUARY 2010

FEBRUARY 2010

MARCH 2010

APRIL 2010

MAY 2010

JUNE 5th 2010

Results are in

I took 1st Place in Novice Figure Tall :)

And 4th in Novice Bikini Tall :0 

More than I could have ever asked for!

It's funny how Stacey busts her ass but BARBIE GETS WHAT BARBIE WANTS!

Gratitude

I had an amazing weekend filled with new experiences and I am so thankful that I was able to keep it together and take it all in :)

The list of people I am thankful for is ENDLESS
 seriously, here are just a few...

MOM AND DAD RACHEL 

JT SHAN and CO

BONNIE

 NICK ALLI  

KEVIN AARON

CARON SHARON 

JESS ANGUS KRISTA

DAVID SOBOYO and CREW 

JENN NICOLE KIM 

KELLY MICHELLE MARIA YVONNE

GREG GRAZIELLA MARTHA  

EMILY BEN GRADY 

DEE JEFF ABBY

 MICHELLE PAULA KERRI 

NANCY STEF RUTH

Updates later :)

:0

It's finally here! Holy sh*t ;)

I have so many amazing people to thank for helping me get here and supporting me through the rough times! Blogging has been slacking and I apologize for that, but I'll be back in full effect shortly!

I have worked VERY hard for quite some time, it's my time to shine :)

Let the transformation begin!

11 days!

YIKES!  This week marks the last week before "PEAK" week (week before the show) AKA scramble to get every last little thing done all without a brain ;)

I find it so interesting how your body and mind and tastebuds and everything adjusts to a situation. Example being this diet plan.
Just when you think you can't do it, you realize you can :) and you WILL :)
BUT THE
The second that you stray its like you have unleashed the BEAST!!
My cheats are 82% dark chocolate and most recently...

Trust me up until about 2 wks ago I still had almond butter and a jar of peanut butter hidden in my cabinets...NOT A GOOD IDEA.

As the process evolves you start to get more and more creative with spices and cooking methods (that is when you have the time)

I struggled a lot in the beginning mistaking GUM for FOOD and COFFEE for WATER ;)  How foolish of me!
GUM is gone but coffee is here to stay.

Have you seen me lately?

Well here I am :)))))

It was recommended to me to start shaving my arms/ ENTIRE BODY this week.  This was definitely one of the toughest things for me to do! Even as a swimmer I NEVER shaved the blonde hair on my arms or the peach fuzz that seems to be ever where else.
Bonnie LeFrak has been absolutely amazing throughout this process, so I will legit do whatever she tells me...even if it was to jump off a bridge ;)

GIVE ME THAT FILET OF FISH...GIVE ME THAT FISH

Oh whitefish how I love you.  

Nowadays whitefish is my best friend, breakfast, lunch, dinner and in between ;)

Here is an AMAZING recipe from my AMAZING MOM so you can all share in the love of whitefish.  Honestly this is soooooo yummyyy :)

 Baked fish a la dee

Ingredients:

1 3/4 lbs fish

4 tbs olive oil

2 carrots, shredded

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, diced

1 tablespoon basil, dry

3-4 parsley sprigs, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 lemons, squeezed for juice

1/2 cup dry white wine (you may add 1/2 cup water with wine for more sauce)

salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Wash fish, pat dry with paper towel and cut into 4 equal portions. Using a pastry brush, coat shallow roasting pan or oven wear dish with olive oil. Place fish in pan and coat lightly with olive oil, using pastry brush. Pour juice of two lemons over fish. Then, sprinkle fish with the chopped garlic. Add salt and pepper and set preparation aside.

2. In a teflon pan, add remaining oil, garlic and basil and saute for 3-4 minutes with celery, carrots and onions. Add wine, cook for 1 1/2 min. ( to burn off alcohol). Remove from heat.

3. Spoon vegetables and liquid on top of fish and place slice of lemon on each portion. Place preparation in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until fish is tender.

It's go time folks

Pedal to the metal ;)

I have more respect than you know for the ladies who do shows on the regular. It's an experience all right. It's no joke, that is all I will say.

I have less than one month til the show! Linked is the website to the show

I have decided that with all this work we have done, I WANT YOU TO COME SUPPORT JENN AND I!!

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING...GET AFTER IT