September 5, 2012 – No, no, no… I have no current plans for a wedding. In fact, I’m pretty darn single at the moment.
When I put this picture on my Facebook page without any comment about why I was wearing it, I got slammed with Facebook comments, texts and e-mails from many of my friends wondering what in the heck was going on.
I am going to be modeling in a wedding fashion show next week and had to go try on the dress that I will be wearing for the show. So, I thought I’d be humorous and make everyone freak out for a few hours before I explained why I was wearing the dress.
(Click here to learn about the Lakeside Bridal Fair coming Sept 9 to Occasions at Stone River.)
Now, you have to understand, I’m not against the idea of marriage, I just haven’t been convinced yet to spend the rest of my life with anyone (I’m waiting for someone to be consistently nice enough to me) and in my 40 years, this was the first time that I had a wedding dress on my body (and sometimes I just think I’m funny and wanted to see people’s reaction), but that topic is a whole other kind of article.
What I’m focusing on this week is how to get ready for a special occasion. Currently I am beginning my “official” training for the Fitness America Weekend in Las Vegas November 15-17. Usually when I compete, I start training about 12 weeks out. If you are getting ready for a special event, such as a wedding, school reunion, or a physique competition, whatever your personal goal is that you want to look fabulous for, 12 weeks is a good guideline to reach your goal if you want to tighten up and “dial in” (which is what we call getting to your “peak” physique in competition).
If you are a little further away from your goal, maybe you have 20 pounds or more to lose, or need to put on a larger amount of muscle. I recommend giving yourself 16 weeks or more. If you are generally close to where you want to be physically and just need to “polish up” a bit, ten days of clean eating and training hard can help you.
It all depends on what your specific goal is and how far away from it you are. The best thing to do is to work with a personal trainer to help you put together a plan to help you reach your goals.
The first thing I usually do when I start a new fitness goal is to go through a cleansing/detox process. I will go sit in a sauna and hot tub for a few hours and sweat out any toxins that are in my body. I usually eat clean and train hard, but this is the time that I become more disciplined and have less “free” meals or cocktails.
The closer to the stage I get, the less frequent I allow myself indulgences. I have a written training plan and I log all of my workouts. When I was new to competing, I also logged all of my meals (I don’t anymore because it is such an ingrained part of my life I can “mentally” log my protein intake for the day), but for people who are trying to get ready for a special event, I do highly recommend that you track everything. This is the best way to look at what progress you are making and tweak your program or for your trainer to help you make adjustments. (Oh, and by the way… be HONEST in your log; it’s kind of like going to the doctor and not telling her all of your bad habits. It kind of defeats the purpose if you aren’t totally up front).
Contact me at ejones@ymcadallas.org if you’d like some help getting set up with a personal trainer or wellness coach.
And for those of you that have a real wedding coming up, I have a special treat for you. The show that I will be in is the Lakeside Bridal Fair on September 9, 2012 at Occasions at Stone River, 1250 Farm to Market Road 2453 in Royse City, 75189. I am wearing a dress from Providence Place at The Harbor and Lynette Coughlin, the store owner, will provide you with free tickets if you stop by the shop or e-mail her for more info lynette.coughlin@gmail.com.
All brides who attend will get a gift certificate for one free month of membership at the Rockwall YMCA and a 3 for $99 special to work with a trainer. If you bring in your receipt for your dress from Providence Place, you will receive one hour of free personal training.
Blue Ribbon News special contributor Liz Jones is the Membership & Wellness Director at Rockwall Family YMCA, located at 1210 N Goliad in Rockwall. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance.
Liz is trained in Reiki, Guided Imagery, and various healing methods. She has also trained in Shotokan karate and other forms of martial arts and self-defense. Her background includes non-profit management and working with various at-risk populations, women’s empowerment workshops, and mentoring programs.
Connect with Liz at ejones@ymcadallas.org or 972-772-9622.
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