Jamie's Blog

2009-05-20T23:05:00.001-07:00

Ouch, been a while since my last post....where does the time go??? If anyone figures this out, lemme know!!!

Not a lot to share right now, my life is pretty boring.....seem to spend most of my time either in the gym or eating, LOL, the life of a figure competitor. Training is going REALLY well, although I think my trainer is at times trying to kill me....THANK YOU Ash (Ahsa Belisle), I really do love you!!!! My actual weight training has been cut back to 2 days and one mini day/week, cardio is 6 days/week, most days twice a day. We've started incorporating harder cardio like hill running, sprints, plyometrics and walking lunges and it's made a huge difference, really noticed some huge changes in my physique since I started working with Asha. I will definitely come in a touch smaller this year and a LOT more streamlined, with all this cardio my legs will be off the hook, haha!!!! Sorry, my inner ghetto child coming out.....

I've also been spending a lot of time working with my clients that are competing, the season starts June 6 in Alberta. I can't wait to see how my girls do, they've all been doing so well and have been busting their butts! It's so rewarding for me to be able to give back to the sport by helping people get on stage.....I feel like such a proud Momma and bawl like a baby every single time I see one of my girls up there, what a feeling!!!!! I'm really proud of all of my athletes and hopefully, with their permission I can post some pics.

Other than training and working with my girls, I've been having my back tattoo worked on lately. One of my clients that's competing this year in figure, Cara Humphries at the Ink Shack (email me if you'd like her contact info, she's THE BEST!), has been working on it for me.....I'm sure she's enjoying her turn to inflict some torture on me, haha!!!! I'm making the tattoo "girlier" by adding my favorite flowers along with my Grandmother's, Mom's and Step-Mom's favorite flowers. I can't wait until it's done, now let's hope it doesn't show on stage too much!!!!

As contest season approaches, I will be for sure posting a lot more often.....I'll even post the dreaded progress pics, ugh!!!!! Changes to the site will also be coming soon, so check back often and please feel free to drop me a line!!!

Train hard, stay healthy!

xo, Jamie

My wrist tattoo in memory of my beloved Boo....for those of you that know me, you know how much I loved this guy!!!! You will always be remembered Boo-boo kitty, I love you! And ya, that actually is his paw print.

The original tattoo.....8 hours of work, 12 years old!

Tattoo after first session, about 3 hours...just the outline is done.

Tattoo halfway done!!!! Spider Mum in blue, Hydrangea in purple, Cherry Blossom in the middle. Going to be so pretty!!!

2009-04-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

Sadly, nothing exciting to report in my life right now....for weeks, I've felt like I' m on the verge of getting sick. Everyone I know has been super sick lately and I thought I'd gotten lucky and missed it....no such luck!!!! Went to the gym Thursday and had to leave halfway through my workout, wich is soooooo unlike me! I've basically been sleeping and popping Gravol since then, not a lot of fun!!! Hope it passes soon!!!

I've been really missing competing lately.....the process, the stage, the lights, the bling, the excitement! Even the not so glamorous stuff, like the dehydration and copious amounts of fish, I find myself missing!!!! October seems like such a long ways away, but I just keep reminding myself of how great it's going to feel to finally get back up on stage after a year and a half off. I have something to prove to myself this year and I will succeed, I'm confident of this!!!

I'm going to be making some changes to my site soon upon the recommendation of a friend who owns the webdsite livepurehealth.ca. He started up and runs a very successful on line supplement shop all on his own. Great prices and excellent service, check him out if you need anything at all!!!

Once I start my contest prep, I'm also going to be posting more updates in my journal as well as progress pictures....ugh!!!! What the hell, some people might find it interesting to watch the changes, I know I sure do!!!

Alright, back to bed.

Ciao for now!
Jamie

2009-03-28T17:36:00.001-07:00

WOWZA, where does the time go???????

So another month has almost gone by since my last entry and my life has been nothing but changes since!!!! Things have started to settle down lately and I'm really excited about new opportunities in my future.

First, I'm doing an interview tomorrow night for a website, siouxcountry.com. They air live radio shows, everyone from competitors, to trainers, to fans. The site itself is a chat site where there's a lot of like-minded people, you can find great information as well as tons of support and great people. It's a lot of fun, hope you check it out!

Training is going very well, nothing new to report there. Getting a bit anxious because I want it NOW, but I have to remind myself that it won't happen overnight. One of my favorite quotes is "Life is a marathon, not a track meet" (said by Ice Cube, LOL)...I constantly have to remind myself of this and keep focused. It's so easy to lose sight of the goal, but each small step I take motivates me to keep pushing and climbing closer towards my goal.

Going to see my trainer this week to review my training and re-asses my goals. She's a great friend and it's always wonderful to see her, plus she puts it all back into perspective for me!! I'm one of those people who wants to do it ALL RIGHT NOW, so it's good to work with people who remind me of my limitations and what's realistic. Asha is a great trainer, I highly recommend working with her....she's a genious!!!!

I'm also no longer working with Body Plus and am unsure of my sponsorship with Interactive at this time. I should know what's going on within the next 2 weeks as this will greatly impact my competition plans for the year. I decided it's time to take a step back and focus on what I really want to do....so I'm going after it full force!!! Stay tuned, I'll be sure to share my great news WHEN it happens.....that's right, WHEN not IF!!!! LOL!!!!

So, another few weeks have passed and I'm about 6-8 weeks away from my goal.....just gotta stay focused, stay positive and keep moving!!!!

Health and Happiness,
Jamie

2009-02-24T08:08:00.000-08:00

Here it is, almost the end of February...where has the time gone??????

Not much is new and exciting, just cardio, work, train, eat, sleep, repeat. My life is pretty uneventful!!! Started a new training program a good friend of mine, Asha Belisle, created for me...kicking the CRAP outta me!!! I'm actually training a lot less than I have in the past, focusing more on cardio and conditioning and after 2 weeks, I'm already seeing huge changes. Asha is a genious at program design and I'd highly recommend her if you're interested in a butt kicking, original program!!!! I'm only training 3 days/week, with cardio 6 days/week....and I hate cardio, so it's a real challenge for me!!!

Diet is going phenomenally well, which I design myself. I think I've finally found what really works for my body and keeps it happy. I've actually started trying out new diet recipes as well, which is a first for me. Usually I stick to the same old boring, plain food but lately I've been trying out recipes from Dr. John Berardi's cookbook, Precision Nutrition. Maybe that's why things are working so well, I'm not bored of the food yet, LOL!!!!

I'll be working all weekend at the Edmonton Health Show at the Body Plus booth, sampling product and talking to people....gotta love my job!!!!! Stop by and say hi if you're in the area, lots of neat stuff to see!!!

Have a great week!
Jamie

2009-02-03T16:10:00.000-08:00

OK, OK....so it's been just over a year since I've updated this badboy, but after several friends suggested it (thank you nine999), I've decided to try this yet again. If anyone out there is reading this, drop me a line, I'd love to know!!!!

So, since my last entry of December 2007, a lot and nothing has changed in my life, LOL!!! I took last year off from competing and it was by far not only the hardest decision I've made in my life, but the best thing I could've done for myself. I spent the year attempting to live as a "normal" person does.....whatever "normal" is anyway!!! Here's what my year of introspection lead me to discover....I love competing. I missed it. I missed the structure, the challenge, the discipline...I'm a goal oriented gal, I need goals in my life to keep me moving forward in a positive direction. Maybe it was because for the first time in 8 years I didn't have a show to work towards, but I spent the entire year feeling as if I was floating around. This being said, I also learned that I need BALANCE in my life.....developing more of a social life and deepening friendships was an amazingly fullfilling experience and I saw how valuable it is to overall health. My promise to myself is that I will only ever get onstage again if I can maintain the balance. If it starts to falter, I will have to take a step back and re-evaluate my goals. Now that I've experienced a more fully balanced life, I vow to keep all aspects of my well-being as balanced as I can. We'll see how that goes!!!

Anyway, I can't divulge all the secrets of my life over the last year in one post, so I will save more for later.....and only if people are actually reading this!!! LOL!!!!

I'll also be keeping track of my diet and training here as I prep for the 2009 season...should make for some...ahem....entertaining reading!!!

xo, Jamie

Looooooong overdue.....

2007-12-02T00:12:00.000-08:00

OK, so it's been quite some time since I've used this thing......DOES ANYONE EVEN READ THIS???? Sheesh, I gotta check out my "stats" for this site. Time for a makeover!!!!

Just to keep the few people who DO read this in the loop, I'm currently in the midst of updating my site, including pictures from the 2007 competition season and my plans for 2008. I will also be including a training and diet section as well as a more comprehensive list of the services I offer, including prices. All suggestions are welcome!!!

Stay tuned,
Jamie

Gene X-June 2007

2007-07-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

2007-07-03T22:58:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am.....4 weeks and 3 days out from my first Pro show....AAAAHHHHH!!! Will I be ready? Will I be MENTALLY ready??? I don't know at this point, but that's the goal!!

The biggest difference between this year and previous years of contest prep is the mental training....going from being known by Canadian judges, to the "underdog" takes some adjusting!! But I'm ready for it....or at least I will be! I'm working closely with my coach (Scott Abel) on my preparation....both the physical and the mental. There is not a doubt in my mind that I will be physically ready for this show...my training is going AWESOME, I'm injury free (knock on wood!) and I'm feeling great! It's hard to comprehend that I feel this good this close to a show....I guess that's the difference between how I used to train and how I train now. My diet is relatively easy, as it's still very balanced....I still even get fruit! This is all a first for me and I'm truely enjoy the process. Now if only the lines in my quads would make an appearance....haha!!!

Did a photoshoot at the Canadian Nationals this past weekend with the awesome Gene X of Orange County Photography...I will post some pics. As always, Gene is fun to work with and I feel very comfortable with him. He's got a great eye and really captures images from different angles....very happy with the finished product.

No clue what my weight is, but guessing it's still above 150lbs....not a big worry to me as Scott goes more on how things look. Really nice to not be obsessing over the stupid scale anymore, see ya!!! Will take more pics and be sure to post those as well.

Off to bed, athletes must get their rest....or at least that's what I tell myself!!!
XO, Jamie

2007-05-20T11:15:00.001-07:00

I officially declare my scale a BIG FAT LIAR!!!! Nothing moving, but I do look different...sigh. Oh well, the trials and tribulations of dieting! I guess that's what my trainer's for...let him worry about it!!!!

Just started cardio last week for the first time since JULY!!!! I can't believe I started cardio at 12 weeks out....at this point previously, I'd have been doing well over an hour daily! I'm only doing 3 actual cardio sessions of varying length and 2 ciruit style sessions....they kick m a@#! But I guess that's what needs to be done, so on with the show!!!

Happy Day!
Jamie

2007-05-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

2007-05-19T10:57:00.000-07:00

Okee dokee....

Well, since I am 11 weeks out today from my first Pro Figure show, thought I'd start a blog so I can share what's going on....instead of answering individual emails!!! Waaaay easier....

Anyway, on August 4, 2006 in Detroit, Michigan at the Motor City Pro Show, I'm going to embark on a new journey in my life.....going from amateur athlete to Pro, playin with the "big girls" now!!! AAHHHH!!! Scared, nervous, excited....YES!!!! I absolutely cannot wait!!

I don't think I've actually begun to comprehend what's happened...and I don't think I really will until I step on that stage for the first time. I absolutely AMAZES me that I'm at this point....when I started on this journey 5 or 6 years ago, my goal was never to turn Pro. I have no athletic ability and the idea of getting in a bathing suit in public still haunts me!!! I wasn't an athlete while growing up, but I sure did attempt to be one!!! The fact that I can now stand on stage with the women I've admired for so long BLOWS MY MIND!!!!! Oh ya, I'll be the one on stage who trips cuz she in such amazement and busy gawking at these ladies!!! Yowza, better practice walking in those heels....

So, I've been working with Scott Abel since September and am really happy with things...my physique has changed a bit, but more importantly, my outlook on myself and this sport has greatly changed. I no longer look at the show as "the end all be all" and more as a goal along the way...living a healthier lifestyle, both mentally and physically, has become much more important to me and something I am greatful to Scott for helping me understand. This last year sure has been a strong learning curve!!!!

Physique wise...well, time will tell!! I've lost a bit of the thickness I previously carried and am more balanced now. My overall conditioning, thanks to my MET training, has really improved as I now train more like an athlete than a bodybuilder. Sure, I miss the previous days of heavy reps and sets, but this is another totally new challenge.

Well well, off to do cardio!!!
All the best,
Jamie