Trust the Process

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I have blogged, I partially blame it on the fitness competition taking all of my mental power... anyways, I've been getting a lot of questions about how I did the bikini competition, what I ate, what I did for workouts, etc. and I hope I can answer many of those questions, but first off, what I did to get there is probably a completely different journey for somebody else. I had an awesome trainer that I paid every month and he made up my meal plans and workouts specifically for me and my body type. So just keep that in mind ;) I didn't have just one diet the whole time either, it changed almost every 2 weeks, including my workouts. I started training July 9th, and my competition was this last weekend on October 19th, so all together I had about 15-16 weeks to get to my goal. My husband Phil also did the competition with me which made things a lot easier, he is a saint. Here's some before and after pics of us both from start to finish.

 It was a lot of hard work, but definitely worth it. I haven't decided yet if or when I want to do another one but for now I'm just going to continue to eat healthy and workout.

So you want to know what I ate these last 16 weeks?
Here's a list:

Proteins:
Chicken breast
Ground turkey
Top sirloin
Bison
Tuna
Tilapia, tilapia, tilapia
Egg whites

Carbs:
Rice (brown and white)
Sweet potatoe
Oatmeal
Ezekiel bread

Veggies:
Green beans
Spinach
Zucchini
Yellow squash
Celery

Fruits:
Banana
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Grapefruit

And that's it folks. I had a cheat meal once a week up until the last two weeks before the show. An let me tell ya, there is no way I could've survived those 16 weeks without those. Did you know that cheat meals once a week are actually good for you? Read about it here: cheat meal link. My favorite treat to have and that I always craved was ice cream :) yummmy!

Something that made this whole experience a million times easier is that my sweet husband did it with me! We were with each other every step of the way. Having a support system if you're going to do something like this is so important. It definitely gives you that extra push to succeed.
It's so nice to be able to share this passion for fitness with him. We always have something to do together even if it is going to the gym for date night ;) Anyways, here are some more pics for those of you who have asked! I will be posting more about the entire process and what I'm doing now in posts to come!

  

Turn your Dreams into Plans

As many of you know I have been in the middle of a bikini competition prep. Its gotten pretty rough these last few weeks hence the absence of any new blog posts. I never thought I would be able to do something so hard but I am proving to myself that I can do anything! I have about twelve days until my competition and I can't wait. I've worked so hard and am finally starting to see the results I want.  If you feel like you are in a rut with your eating habits, or your workouts, or anything for that matter; don't give up. Patience is key to almost everything in life. If you make a plan and have some determination you will get there I promise! Stop wishing and pinning awesome bodies on your pinterest boards ;) and actually become those girls that you are pinning! Nothing is impossible. Here's a quick progress picture I took about  a week ago. Gotta love selfies :)

I am obsessed with this quote! Yes it's always good to dream, dreaming is where you can get soooo many ideas and inspirations, but even more important than dreaming is making plans and taking action so you can actually fulfill those dreams! There have been so many times during this competition prep that I have just wanted to give up, but then I remember why I'm doing this, why I chose to torture myself haha. I want to push my mind and body to its own limits and see what I am capable of. We all have so much potential it's unbelievable. So start taking action and make plans for your dreams!

P.S. I have recently started making meal and workout plans for friends, co-workers, etc. if you feel like you don't know where to start with any of your fitness goals, it always helps to have a plan written out for you. If you are interested shoot me an e-mail : sarahelizabethwensel@gmail.com and I will give you more details! 

Protein Waffles!!

What's better than waffles on a Saturday morning?? Just about nothing. Even though I can't eat these right now due to my competition prep, I still wanted to share them with you all, they are seriously soooo delicious and healthy too! They are also super easy to make! Here's how:

In a blender mix:
1/2 cup oats
2Tbs Greek yogurt
2Tbs almond milk
5 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
Sprinkles of cinnamon
1/2 mashed banana (optional) scoop of protein powder (optional)

It will be really runny so I usually make them as waffles.. But if you make them as pancakes you have to pour a little bit at a time so they keep their shape. If you're trying to get more vegetables in your diet throw a cup of spinach in the blender with everything. I've done it before and I promise you won't even tell a difference.. Besides the green colored waffles that is :)
I top mine with fruit and sugar free syrup!

'Skinny Legs' and Costco Runs

Hello my lovely followers! I've been a slacker and haven't been blogging as much as I have wanted to. My sister and I went to Boise this weekend to visit our Aunt Tracey, we had a blast!! I had today off of work so I decided to do a Costco run since we had no food at home due to my husband being home alone from Wednesday to Sunday.. you know how that goes. Anyways, I am a frequent Costco shopper, I find myself there at least once a week. As I am on my competition diet my choices are limited, but none the less they still have just about EVERYTHING that I need. Here are some of my staples (and until mid October, about the only things) that I get from Costco. 

1. Canned Green Beans 2. Celery 3. Asparagus 4. Organic Spinach 5. Eggs (5 dozen) 6. Raspberries 7. Blueberries 8. Chicken Breast 9. Avocados 10. Tilapia 11. C4 (Pre-workout)
      So I posted a picture on instagram earlier today and kept getting skinny leg comments,It must just be a really great angle because ironically my legs are probably the biggest and bulkiest they have been in a while! They are also the strongest they have ever been. I've gained a lot of lean muscle mass during this competition prep which is awesome! I just can't wait for them to shred a little more so you can actually see the muscles I've been working my butt off for! One of my friends asked me to post about how I got my 'skinny legs' so I'm going to share one of my leg workouts! I did this leg workout once a week for two weeks at the beginning of my prep and it really helped build a lot of muscle. Granted I also worked my glutes and hamstrings a lot as well but that's for another day! (Ps when an exercise says 'superset' that means you alternate between that one and the other one that says superset. If you don't know what some of these exercises are google them, they are super easy to find!)
Quads

• Leg Extensions 3x15
• Smith Machine Squats 4x20 (superset)
• Body Weight Squats 4x20 (superset)
• Step-ups 3x12
• Single leg squats 3x12

Good Luck!! 

The Clean Eating Scoop According to Sarah

Okay guys trust me, you do not have to be a great cook to eat healthy. It seems like a lot of people use this as an excuse to go eat out multiple times a week or to just go the easy route and have a microwavable meal. You don't have to be a good cook, but you do however have to cook (obviously). A while back, a lot of my instagram and facebook followers asked me to either start a blog with some tips and recipes and or to email them those tips. At the time I had not yet started my blog, so I put together a quick email with some of my tips and a few recipes. So here I will recreate that email I sent out to many of my friends and share it with all of you! I honestly just try and put as many healthy things together and hope that it tastes good! Luckily most all of my meals have been pretty decent thus far. I currently am on a very strict diet because of my bikini competition prep but this is just until mid October and as soon as it is over I plan on going back to this lifestyle to maintain my body after the competition. Any-who, here is my two sense on eating clean and making a habit out of it.

Rules I try to live by:

1.        Eat as many vegetables as you can, especially green ones (spinach, kale, asparagus, brussel sprouts, broccoli, etc.)

2.       Stay away from sugar. This is a BIG key in seeing results. No candy, desserts, pastries, muffins, etc. ( no one is perfect, so allow yourself a cheat day every once in a while). It’s really hard for the first few days but by the end of one week without it, you really stop craving it.

3.       PROTEIN, PROTEIN, PROTEIN, I can’t stress this enough; most people don’t get the amount of protein they need to maintain their muscle let alone build more muscle (which in and of itself increases your metabolism).

4.       Drink TONS of water throughout the day, I try drinking a gallon a day.

5.        I use coconut oil and olive oil to cook/sauté everything in… mostly coconut oil though.

6.        Sweet potatoes are a staple in my diet. They are one of the best complex carbs which gives you lots of energy, plus I love them!

7.        I rarely eat dairy, but when I do, I use plain Greek yogurt, fat free cottage cheese, feta cheese, and goat cheese.

8.        I only eat red meat about once a week if that, it's yummy in moderation, but chicken is better for you.

9.        Eat at least every four hours, it seems like a ton but if you get the portions right, you will boost your metabolism like crazy!

10.   Meal preparation has been a big key to my success.

 Here is what a typical day of food looks like for me:

Breakfast:

4 egg whites

1/2 cup oats w small protein scoop for sweetener and almond milk

Almond slivers

1/4 cup of fruit (strawberries, blueberries, bananas)

Snack #1:

dried fruit (pineapple)

a few almonds

Lunch:

Whole wheat pasta or spaghetti squash w/ marinara and sautéed spinach or kale

4-6 oz of grilled chicken

Snack #2:

protein drink (from Costco)

 piece of fruit (banana)

Dinner:

Tilapia (Costco)

Baked sweet potato

Asparagus