Fairy Tale

A lot has happened since my last blog! It has been over a month since I wrote you all last because quite frankly a few weeks before my competition my mind was focused and determined. I had one goal in my mind and I was willing to do anything to achieve it- so my lack of blogging was something that unfortunately fell through. I will be blogging more on a weekly basis and if I have extra time a few a week.

So what happened?? WHAT IS GOING ON?? The day of my competition I walked in more ready then ever and really and truly just wanted to have fun. This is exactly what I did! All the hard work was done and it was my time to shine. Preliminaries went by fast and before I knew it I was off to a photoshoot with Kris Josef and MUA Monica Kalra. Kris was such an amazing photographer to work with so fun and outgoing it made for such a great break between Finals.

One shot from the Day :)

 After the shoot I headed home for a few hours to eat some rice cakes and "rest up" a bit!  I still have yet to understand resting between prelims and finals I am always so excited and not to mention do NOT want to have to re-do my hair and make-up! So me and my best friend Megan decided to take some pictures together, funny, cute, silly and normal and after a picture overload it was time to head back to the venue and prepare for the Finals.

Meg stayed backstage with me until the very last minute to bikini bite my bum, take pictures and just be there to talk to me and keep my nerves down. For some reason I was WAYYY more nervous for the Nightshow. I reminded myself as my video was playing before I stepped onstage that this was MY day- the time, effort, pain and tears I had sacrificed could be shown off on THIS DAY.

"Have fun Caitlin and don't walk to fast" I whispered to myself. That is exactly what I did- I forgot I was competing, I forgot about my competitors and in my eyes the light was shinning down on ME, on MY accomplishments and MY hard work. It may sound selfish but it really gets rid of your nerves and to any competitor out there this day should be about YOU.

As the judges asked us to step back so they could call out the Top 5 my heart began to beat fast. I had never wanted something so much before- such a crazy feeling inside me of nerves and excitement.

#5, #4, #3- my name still hadn't been called..... #2 is number 11....I paused for a moment trying to remember what number was mine. I was confused and carb depleted and usually I am number 11 (my favorite number). After scuffling these thoughts through my head they announced the other girls name. And in first place #23 Caitlin Cooke. I could not believe it, I won- OMG I WON, I WON!!!!!!!!!!!! It did not feel real it felt like I was caught in one of my dreams I had been having for the past month. Somebody pinch me please...

Photo by: Muscle Inside (Top 5 Bikini Tall)

As I walked off stage my friend and inspiration Chelsea Boissonneault grabbed my Trophy to hold on to it for me and told me to get ready to go back on stage as it was time for the Overall Bikini. I was just so excited about my win I had to take a moment to compose myself. "Okay- focus Caitlin focus! Everything you got, tighten up, slow walk and confidence" I told myself in my head.

Photo by: Liana Louzon- Overall Bikini Comparisons

 

It felt like the Overall comparisons took for ever and that we were walking back and forth from the front and back of the stage A LOT!! Little did I know it went by quick (probably 2 minutes) but it felt like at least 5-6 minutes. As the judges finished up their scores/votes they were satisfied and we were asked to go off stage and they would announce the overall winner.

"And the winner for Bikini Overall is #23 Caitlin" Angie P said on the microphone. I held my hand up to my face like a pageant girl in shock of her win and walked back on stage. Ashley-Ann handed me over this huge trophy and congratulated me on my win. The minute on stage holding the trophy was a bit of a blur to me it felt so surreal like I was in some sort of fairy tale. The only thing running through my mind what that my body was weak and that trophy was pretty darn heavy. I walked back off stage and everyone congratulated me it was so nice and kind. WOW- talk about the greatest feeling in the world! IT PAID OFF!!

Photo By: Liana Louzon- Me with the Overall Trophy (almost as big as me)

I ran backstage and yes, you probably guessed it to start eating some yummy snacks!! I went and indulged in chocolates, cookies, candies, chips- honestly you name it I probably had a little bit of it and success has never tasted sweeter. I enjoyed this fantastic celebration with many of the other FFF (Free Form Fitness) Ladies and we toasted to great success with a glass of red wine. It felt like this day could not get ANY better.

Photographer- James Elliott 

 

After having a mini celebration backstage it was time for me to go back on stage and celebrate with the other Overall winners Dwayne and Melanie. I must say these two were both fantastic people such nice and caring individuals it was the greatest feeling in the world spending that few moments on stage with the two of them. I then of course went and talked to each judge individually to get some feedback and constructive criticism in order to improve in future competitions. It was great hearing it all and will definitely know where to improve and make changes in my next competition.

Overall Winners- Myself, Dwayne H and Melanie G

After an extremely long day it was time to head home with my parents, best friend Megan and boyfriend Sami for some much deserved food and relaxation. My dad and mom continued to congratulate me on my success and how proud they were of me. It was time to eat and toast to a great day of amazing success while celebrating it with some of the most important people in my life.

Me- Ready to Indulge in food <3

Post Comp Meal- 1 pizza slice 3 wings, I was STUFFED!!

Cheers with Champagne to a great day!!

Stay tuned as I update you shortly on my next steps!
Love you all,
Caitlin Cooke #11

Run Away

The past few days have been pretty rough to say the LEAST! I had completely and utterly broke down Wednesday due to a change within my daily routine and schedule. The thing is every night I prepare for my next day- this includes meals, gym times, naps, work and relaxation. I like to have my days planned out to a tee to avoid stress and ensure I can get everything done I possibly can.

I ended up waking up around 9am on Wednesday but I was not concerned as my friend Megan said she could work for me if I needed and I wanted to get my gym hours in no matter what- it is my number one priority right now. I message Megan around 9am, 11am, 1pm, 1:30pm... hmmm by this time I was panicking because I had to be at work for 3pm. Unfortunately, Megan didn't get any of my messages till 2pm due to back-up and my other co-worker could not make it in to work till 5pm. Just my luck my boss also had a meeting at 3:30pm so there was no way around this obstacle. I ran out of the gym in my sports bra and shorts covered by sweat pants, a sweater and some SWEATY hair. NO SHOWER- YUM :) I called my boyfriend on the bus crying because I was overwhelmed- although Megan said she could work I had in my mind she was GOING to and because of the diet and workout stress I broke down. 

Finally at work, frustrated, sweaty and upset I glance at the May calendar to see if our boss has posted any hours for the month of May. Just to top off my day I see that my hours have been reduced to 18-20 hours a week. WOW! I can't survive off of this- again I break down and start crying. I immediately call my Dad for advice and possibly options - the idea of going home crossed my mind as a last resort but you have to do what you have to do and quite frankly 20 hours a week is just NOT enough. I again start crying because the though of leaving the city I have grown to love and friends I have made seems unfair and I WILL NOT LEAVE!!

This clearly was NOT my day and my co-worker Jessy came in for me at 5pm so I could go to the gym and finish my workout, I mean I was already in my gear and ready to go! Ukkk- I went and as upset as I was I finished everything off- THANK GOD! Now the only thing I wanted to do was go home and curl in a little ball and SLEEP. This is what I did home to bed and hope that tomorrow would bring a much better outcome.

An ice cream bar would have made me feel better today! To bad that was not an option :(

Thursday was a day to SLEEP IN- my rough day yesterday earned me a bit of a sleep in and stayed in bed till 10am. Although most would argue- Caitlin nothing bad really happened today and your day was not that rough. My response- you go workout for 3-4 hours a day, do the diet I am doing and let me know how you feel- Okay? Yes! I have hit the final stage the LAST push but I am more stressed and overwhelmed than ever. I was at the gym today from 1:30pm-6pm a very long time! But I must say I did cardio, had a break, ate a meal, relaxed in the massage chairs and then it was back to weight training and more cardio! Surprisingly today I did not need a nap after my workout, my energy was fine but my muscles are SO sore words cannot even explain. I felt like I had hit the age of 80 when I had to walk up those stairs at Goodlife. WOOO- I FEEL THE BURN!

I spent the rest of the night prepping meals, a little more abs and glutes workouts at home and posing. I use my DVD from last years OPA competition to guide me in practice. When my number is called out I play it out as if I am being called out again and practice, practice, practice. I must say if your posing right this is a workout on its own. Flex this muscle and this and this along with this one, smile, look pretty and natural- hmm okay?!

I spent the rest of my night relaxing with Sami watching a little television and I even got myself a nice little massage. THANK-YOU! It was sad because tomorrow Sami is headed off to Brazil for a week and I am not so sure what I will do without him. I am pretty sure he is REALLY happy to get away from grouchy Caitlin and is enjoying is getaway. I figured I owed it to him Friday morning to make him a little goodbye breakfast. I decided to keep it healthy and made him some protein crepes with a side of sliced apples- YUM! Was kind of jealous not going to lie!

This would have been a good morning snack too eh?

It was now off to work the morning at the salon from 9am-2pm and surprisingly the shift went by extremely quickly. Mid way through my shift Sami came and said his final goodbye before his hot sunny getaway. Okay I am not a loser but after he left I started crying- I AM DEPLETED OKAY!! haha I felt a little dumb but hey, he has put up with me for the past 2 months and has never gotten mad once, as I have yelled, cried, freaked out- he's been quite the helper and has supported me 110%. 

I finished off my mid afternoon at the gym OF course and headed home to prep my meals for Saturday and quite to be honest RELAX. It felt nice to have absolutely NOTHING to do and I most definitely soaked it all in I watched some old Jersey Shore episodes, enjoyed reading Facebook and laying down in a warm comfy blanket!

Let's hope my weekend is Joyful & EXCITING :)
P.S. Can you tell my sugar depleted?? 

Till tomorrow bloggers,

Caitlin Cooke #11

It's A Passion

Hey Everyone! So it has been quite some time since I have posted any new blogs and I am extremely sorry but when it comes down to it meal prepping, cardio, weight training and quite frankly SLEEP are the most important things for right now. So even though I actually have a lot of my blogs typed up I am going to give you a brief summary of everything that has happened the past few weeks.

At the end of March I ended up getting my hair re-done my the amazing Miss Crystal and also got new extensions yahoo! The other ones needed to come out they were getting sooo worn out, I felt like a WOMAN again- p.s. extensions are evil- you will become addicted to them if you get them I PROMISE YOU! Hmm what else has happened? I met with the lovely Stacey a few weeks ago to do her hair for an 80's prom shoot- she looked gorgeous leaving my place and had the perfect hair for the shoot! It was nice finally chatting with someone who has been through the same thing, can relate to the exact same mood swings, break downs and CRAVINGS. I definitely missed this girl and was absolutely amazing seeing her again!

I have been chatting and texting a lot with my girl Johanna. We will both be competing on April 30th although unfortunately at different events which really does suck because I would love to watch her compete. When ever I have a break down or cravings I always text Jo she is there to encourage me, keep my mind on track and talk through my goals with me. I cannot stress enough how amazing this has been for me to have her by my side through this rough haul. Thank-you girl you have been quite the blessing in MANY ways.

A few weekends ago, WRECK MMA put on another great event at Tailgators- Throwdown in O-Town and it was quite the full house. These live Muay Thai fights were quite impressive for amateurs I must say- it was an awesome afternoon although my Ring Girl partner Christiane could not be there so it was a lot of getting up and sitting back down for me as the rounds were only two minutes long. Congrats to all the winners on your success you all did a fantastic job.

As for my training it has been going absolutely phenomenal! I am currently 18 days out (2.5 Weeks Away) and am extremely excited to dial everything in. I met Rob again last week and that put a great big smile on my face- I left with less body fat % again and looking lean, mean and muscular :) The only downfall about these last weeks is the body exhaustion. My body is struggling to KEEP UP and I have to force myself with every last bit of energy I have inside me. Exercises and weights that weren't hard before are HARD NOW- strange but it's reality! After every workout I am in need of at least a 45min to hour long power nap. People may ask why I do this? Simply because I love it! I love a challenge, I love fitness and I LOVE competing. I have competed in sports my whole life and I strive to be on top- competitions give me that thrill again on an entirely new level because of wild dedication it takes to accomplish my goals.

My diet does not even bother me anymore! I am so close and so use to it that it seems like as easy as pb and jam. I can walk past Cinnabon now without holding my breath and take a deep breath in and laugh. LAUGH that I have conquered one of my biggest cravings and how those delicious cinnamon and frosting pasteries have got NOTHING over me now. My parents will be here soon to help me the last week of prepping and lets be realistic to clean my house, buy me groceries- aww love you Mommy & Daddy! I absolutely cannot wait for them to get here as they are the people I cannot wait to see and show them what I have accomplished most.

My countdown to great great events is on- 18 Days till my Comp, 24 Days till Wreck MMA-Unstoppable (which you ALL need to get tickets for its going to be WICKED) and 30 Days till my Birthday. This is going to be a good few weeks for the record book. Oh OH and I forgot to mention I will also announce my two HUGE announcements the day of my competition so stay tuned.

Love you all,
Caitlin Cooke #11

P.S.- If you are looking for recipes, exercises or motivation add my fan page on Facebook- Caitlin Cooke Bikini Competitor!

Pampering Caitlin

Although I do not have to work this Saturday it was up bright and early for me because I was getting my hair done again. The old extensions are coming out and I get to add new color and feel my real hair for a little while. My appointment wasn't till 11am but got to the salon early to see my lovely friend and hairdresser Crystal.

It was good I got in early because I was at the salon from 10:30am-4:30pm. It took about an hour to take out my extensions, then wash my hair and dry it in order to put some new color in. We decided to go out on a wild card and try something completely new, blonde in the front, blonde chunks on top and a purple/reddish brown for the rest of my hair. It was another 2 hours to dye it and let it sit and soak up the colors in my hair. When it was time to get my hair washed out it felt so good. I have not touched or had my hair scrubbed like that in forever due to my extensions, although my hair felt SOOO light now. Finally, it was time to dry my hair and Crystal even curled it for me because I was going to be out working tonight at Tailgators. After hours of work on my hair it turned out absolutely AMAZING- we lined p some extensions to match my new hair color and will be applying them in about 2 weeks. I CANNOT WAIT!! Crystal always does the best job! Love ya girl.

New Hair :) Extensions to come soon again!

After hours sitting in a chair I headed to the mall to buy myself a cute top to wear for tonight. I bought a fancy tank top from Sirens and while I was there ran into a beautiful long summer dress I HAD TO try it on. It fit perfectly and it was a must buy for my possibly getaway in May. I finished up at the mall around 6pm and went out for a quick dinner with Megan since we have not spent barely any time together because of my hectic training. My boyfriend picked us both up after we were done and I rushed home to change and get ready for the night.

I was at Tailgators for the UFC fights and promote Wreck's next event Throwdown in O-Town which are live Muay Thai fights behind held April 2nd right at Tailgators at 3pm. Message me if you are interested in tickets it is a show you most definitely do not want to miss. We finished up areound 12:30am and the headed back to my place for a relaxing night.

It is now almost 2am and I have had one very very long day and it is time to hit the sheets.
Till tomorrow bloggers,
Caitlin Cooke #11

Green Eggs

The day to wear nothing but GREEN! Yes! It was Thursday morning and also St. Patrick's Day a day where most would get completely wasted out of there mind with GREEN beer, GREEN shots and of course the infamous GUINNESS. I had other plans this year. I woke up to try and enjoy a bit of the Irish spirit by making an egg white omelet with spinach and celery, green peppers on the side and a hard boiled egg. I KNOW! I KNOW- I could have at least added food coloring but I looked in several places in the city but SOLD OUT! Bars really get a head start on this stuff.

I tried to make it Green!

It was an absolutely gorgeous day outside today, 9 degrees so I figured why not head on out for a walk. I took a small little stroll down the street and back to my place to unfortunately wash dishes, containers, pans and my steamer- *sigh*. My boyfriend is also working today so I figured I owed it to him to make a small little something for him when he came over.

Until he came over it was time to hit up Goodlife and get at my weights and cardio. Today I was working on my Shoulders, Arms & Legs- what a rough day! I gave it everything I had in my shoulder and arm exercises all the way til failure and my arms and shoulders felt like they were going to EXPLODE- no really! They were so pumped up it was insane. I decided to take it a little easier on my legs since I still had to do cardio after and didn't want to skip out on it. Still stiff-legged at the end of my workout from some Single-Leg SB Squats, I headed over to the treadmill to get a solid 30 minute incline in. I actually was surprised to see how busy it was in the gym for St. Patrick's Day- I just assumed everyone would be out partying I guess I was wrong! There are CRAZY people just like me out in this world- hmmm interesting, this makes me happy.

Lean & Mean Machine

After the gym I hit the showers and then was off to search for some goodies for my boyfriend to hopefully make his day a little bit better. I went and bought him some Green Thumb candies and an Aero Mint chocolate bar as it was St. Paddy's Day but I still didn't feel quite satisfied. I went and bought him his two favorites- Red Licorice and Cadbury Mini Eggs. I must say for someone dieting so insanely its weird that I have such a negative influence on him- haha! The real truth behind it all is I'm pretending its actually going into my belly and my "buying" these candies I get some sort of satisfaction- hmm maybe OR maybe I want him to buy me a ZILLION candies when I am done my competition- hahah what a vicious cycle.

Candies were bought and it was time to get one the bus and head home to make myself a GREEN protein shake. So the sad part is I had no food coloring so I needed to somehow improvise- hmm spinach? YES! I had put a scoop of vanilla protein in, water, ice cubes and a handful of spinach- TA DA! A St. Paddy's Day shake :O Surprisingly it was quite delicious and I could not taste the spinach AT ALL--I just seen the small chunks of them floating around my cup. Now to maybe make my boyfriend something healthy before he gets too much delicious treats- I made him a spinach salad with red peppers, celery, broccoli, seasoned and fried eggplant topped with almonds and spiced chicken. I am pretty sure he like it as he ate it all pretty darn fast or he was just starving and anything would do either case it was gone. Next time an actual meal besides a simple salad would be nicer Caitlin!

My GREEN Shake- YUM!

We spent the rest of the night browing the internet at hot locations for a possible getaway. My 22nd birthday is coming near, right after I finish my fitness competition- what better way to reward myself and enjoy my birthday- hmm some serious thought process occurring. Sam is even preparing by trying out my shorts- he says if we go he's gonna wear these old ones of mine that no longer fit me EVERYDAY!! EWWW NO!!

Busted and EWWWW!

 

 

 

 

 

Till tomorrow bloggers,
Love you all,
Caitlin Cooke #11

The Explosion

This morning started off pretty good! I was able to sleep in a little bit till 10am, it felt VERY nice and much needed. When I finally did wake up I cooked up some mean egg whites, a boiled egg and chopped up some green peppers on the side to munch on. YUM! I had some time to kill before I was headed to work so decided to do my daily CREEPING quota.

I started creeping the lovely bikini model Justine Munro and fitness model Jamie Eason. They are two extremely inspiring girls and bodies I hope to one day achieve/have. It seems weird to everyone else to be analyzing photos on what I’d like to achieve but any other competitor understands. In order to keep my mind focused and push harder at my goals its small things like looking at a picture of Justine or Jamie that makes me want to push HARDER at the gym and NOT cheat on my diet. I really liked a comment Jamie said about ABS on her fan page 

"abs are made in the kitchen" and that is SO true!! Genetically, you are either predisposed to having shallow, flat abs (like me) or more defined and deep ab definition. Until you get your bodyfat low enough, you will not know what you have been genetically given, so all the crunches in the world won't add definition without proper nutrition.”

I like this comment because I have had so many people come up to me and ask me to show them ab workouts and how they want abs “like that”.  Don’t get me wrong abs and legs are my favorite workouts and I try and include a little bit of abs and core in everyone of my workouts but Jamie is absolutely right- your abs aren’t going to “POP” unless your eating the proper food and nutrition and your body fat % is lower.

I moved on to the EGGSEL.COM website because I eat sooo many egg whites I am really thinking about buying those things in a tub that CAN be frozen! Yes genius- isn’t it? I stumbled across these homemade Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars that I am really considering making a few days before my competition to have after I am all done.  It looks pretty easy so here is the recipe for any of you who are interested in making it ahead of time maybe you can give me the heads up on how good it is?

2TBSP whey powder
1 1/2 cups quick oats
Dash of cinnamon
1 cup Eggsel egg whites
1/2 cup milk
1 TBSP butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips (or other variations; see below)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In bowl combine whey, oats, and cinnamon. Stir to remove any lumps.

2. Add Eggsel and milk. Stir. Let stand for at least 10 minutes so the dry ingredients absorb some of the moisture from the wet ingredients.

3. In separate bowl combine butter, sugar, and peanut butter.

4. Add oat mixture to peanut butter mixture, and stir until combined

5. Stir in chocolate chips

6. Pour into parchment lined, or sprayed/greased 9 inch pan

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until centre has puffed up, and knife when inserted comes out clean.

8. Cool, cut, enjoy!

Variation: Instead or, or in addition to chocolate chips you can add pecans, walnuts, flax seed or any other nut, or seed. Adding nuts will also increase the protein value of the bars.

Also dried fruit can be added such as raisins, cranberries, or goji berries. If you choose to add dried fruit be sure to 'plump' it first. To plump dried fruit simply soak the fruit in boiled water for about 5 minutes. This will reconstitute the fruit, and prevent the bars from becoming dry. Drain the water and add fruit to bar mix.

After drooling over the possibility of homemade protein bars and other yummy nutritious recipes for a few hours it was time to get my glutes to work. I was working 3pm to 9pm today and my energy level just wasn’t quite at its peak yet. Of course, the minute I got into work it was INSANELY busy and I really didn’t stop running around my ENTIRE shift. I called my dad when I could spare 2 minutes to talk to him because I was ready to kill many customers. I had finally cracked- the happy loving Caitlin was no more. The stress of my diet and workouts had finally hit me and as I cried on the phone begging my parents to come down earlier- I had lost hope. My dad reminded me of all the hard work and effort I had put into it all and not to give up and that the finish line was just around the corner. He was ABSOLUTELY right! Although, I broke down , I knew it would happen soon again but the end result was what I am pushing for. 

After work I headed to Goodlife to get in a solid 45 minute weight training and 20 minutes of cardio. I felt like the talk with my dad amped me up to kill the gym and that’s most definitely what I did. Although now I am home at 11pm doing the usual- dishes, prep food for tomorrow and clean more dishes, I have come to realize this is MY LIFE now. This is who I am! Whether it’s on season or off season I know I would rather spend my free hours at the gym and prepping meals rather than sitting in front of my tv, eating bad food or going out to the bar. This is not ONLY My Fitness Journey this is My Fitness Life.

Till tomorrow bloggers,

Love you all,

Caitlin Cooke #11

Pump it Up

Welcome to the crazy twisted wizarding world of Caitlin Cooke- hmm maybe watching too much Harry Potter recently! It was up and ready to get to my day early this morning, I had to train a friend, while also doing my own training and cardio. What better what to start of my day and breakfast then with egg white spinach omelet topped with a bit of hot sauce. I have really grown to love these omelets! I think it’s the idea of them that intrigue me more than anything. 

Looks pretty delish- no?

I headed to Carleton today for my workout so managed to slip in a half an hour session on the treadmill before my friend arrived to train with me. The girls bathroom was PACKED and I kinda felt a little funny sitting there dripping sweat munching on asparagus and chicken- hmm, I’m going to take this picnic to the hallway. I was SO zoned out into my food and music that she had to come right up to me to catch my attention. Wow- Oh HEY! I headed to the change room with her to shovel the rest of my asparagus down my mouth and head on in for a wild training session. Little did she know I don’t like people who skip out on training days UNLESS it is a given break. It was a rough go but she pulled through amazing and actually made me extremely proud! I can be a tough Cookie ( haha my last name) but she still pushed through everything I told her to do—wooooo, you go girl! After making her do ALL the sweating I figured I owed it to myself to be just as tough on myself. Hmm... Trainer training herself like she trains others- YES LET’S DO IT!

Today at the gym I was ready to conquer those brutal Shoulders & Legs. This was a do or die workout! Barbell thrusters till I physically could not hold the bar anymore, laterals till I could not move my arms 5 inches away from my hips. My arms were absolutely on FIRE and I felt I had put in my effort and I was all done. WRONG! How about you superset that with some walking lunges, jump squats and squat to spot- bahahah BAM- I hit the floor and literally fell over on my last set. A gym supervisor came to ask me if I was okay and I said I was fine as my legs were shaking and ready to give out again ANY second. I decided to sit down for about 10 minutes before I moved on to my next supersets. One more leg superset and I could put those bad boys away for 15 minutes! One leg step ups to sumo jump squats on bench- awww yah about that! Lets just say I missed one of my jumps again near the end further detail not to be discussed! Well if my legs hadn’t had enough I was going to kill them EVEN more and take it to the stair master for 30 minutes- yup YOU GOT IT! I pushed with every last bit of energy I had but I pulled through. Enough was enough time to GO HOME. 

My bus ride home was rough all I wanted to do was give my legs a rest and the bus was packed and ended up standing the whole time with a huge gym bag. It is sad to say it hurt to stand for 20 minutes on a bus to get home- I know. The minute I got home I took my containers out of my bag, slurped back a protein shake and totally passed out cold on my couch for a solid 3 hours. Talk about body over exertion but I did feel much better after I woke up. 

The reality was I still had dishes to clean, a shower to take and meals to prep again for another day. Damm why are these days so similar? Let alone there needs to be wayyy more time within a day.  Now that is all done I write you this blog and watch Harry Potter yet again with my boyfriend. Does anyone ever realize how Hogwarts is always in GREAT danger EVERY year, they say it in the movies like it’s something new occurring everytime hahaa. 

Anyways, Ive watched 10 minutes of this movie and am already tired again- wow, burnt out!

Till tomorrow bloggers, 

Love you all

Caitlin Cooke #11

Burnt Out

It's Monday again back to the beginning of entirely new week- new goals- new workout and new nutrition! I woke up pretty exhausted this morning and although I only had to work 9am-2pm today at the salon it felt like the longest shift of life. I ended up waking up around 6:30am to shower and make myself breakfast for the day- I had to bus to work today so that's why it was such an early morning. I had already prepped my meals the night before luckily so it was off to the bus stop to start my day.

My Inspiration- Justine Munro

My buses were on time one after the other so arrived at the salon fairly early around 8:20am and we don't open till 9am. I had time to fold towels, fill some supplies and sit down for 10 minutes to just gather my thoughts and day together. After what felt like countless hours sitting at the salon desk my shift was finally done and it was time for me to hit the gym. I felt so unmotivated today, my body was starting to feel the strain and fatigue and really didn't want to pull through for me to go to the gym. Luckily my MIND self-consciously doesn't give my body an option anymore- WERE GOING AND THAT'S THAT!

I pushed my headphones into my ears to actually get into the workout mood, the mood that I was ready to kill it and give it everything I had. Finally after about 10 minutes of listening to pump up music I was ready to get at it. Today was circuit training! A new edition to my workout plan and what a gruesome edition it was. This circuit hit my abs, legs and back all together- with little rest and HARD HARD cardio added in. My abs were so sore on my last set I had to get a friend of mine to pull me up off the mat because there was no way I could use anymore of my ab muscles. Sore and drenched in sweat fun and games weren't over it was back to the Stair master for 30mins to burn some more fat and build up those glutes and legs.

When everything was done all I could think about was the fact that I wanted to go HOME! I hopped on the O-Train and was so tired I could feel my eyes closing on me for the 10 minutes I was on there. The same thing happened on the bus ride home- I was struggling to keep my eyes open. I knew that from this point on these are how my days were going to look. Completely exhausted and drained! As I got into my house I shut the door and crashed onto my couch- I was in need of a SERIOUS nap! My serious "NAP" turned into about a 4 hour sleep and I woke up at around 11:30pm.

Now awake at 11:30pm I decided to cook my meals for tomorrow, write this blog and yes BACK TO BED! Like I said my body is in crucial need of sleep these next few weeks and without it I won't be able to give 110% at the gym.

Wish me a long long nap again,
Till tomorrow bloggers,
Caitlin Cooke #11

GTR

Sunday's how I love the beautiful day Sunday. Sunday is my official relax day- where I take it easy and SLEEP IN! Since I got home extremely late I slept in till about 11:30am (not that late) especially since I was still exhausted getting up but it was time to get up as I had a few things to do today even though it was relax day. First thing on the to do list was breakfast as I was in desperate need of energy. I made myself an egg white omelet with spinach and hot sauce, 1 hard boiled egg and some celery and spinach on the side to top it all off. YUM! I must say that omelet was DELICIOUS for having none of that favorite food I put on everything the name shall not be mentioned just its letter C.

As I waited for my boyfriend to wake up sorry as I waited for him to go back to bed and get in some more sleep I browsed the internet to search up some fitness competitions coming up this year with different organizations that may strike my interest. I have not decided whether I would like to do more this year or if I can afford it but I can tell you there are at least two more that have striked my interest.

At about 3pm when Sami was done being lazy and sleeping in we headed out to Costco on Merivale so I could get a few things. Wow for future reference never go to Costco on a weekend it is absolutely crazy INSANE in there and takes you 40 minutes to get like six items. I bought a big pack of chicken breast, a huge piece of salmon, a bag FULL of Macintosh apples, egg whites, freezer bags and about 30 more containers to stuff my food into since I was having to rewash the ones I had every single night in order to split up all my meals and food- it was quite annoying. A Costco trip would not be complete without trying a few samples but I was definitely a good girl. I tried some crab meat, hummus and mixed nuts- my boyfriend on the other han was able to luckily grab all and any of the samples he could in sight. The grand total- $85 dollars! I know a lot of money for not very much food but I knew it was going to last me a while so it was definitely worth the trip. My grocery store adventure didn't end here it was off to get some greens yet again- eggplant, red peppers, zucchini, cauliflower and some more broccoli.

Yes! Jersey Shore has finally hit tanning salons.

By this point I was SICK of running around, hmm tanning time- I THINK SO! I went in for 18 minutes today and I most definitely passed out for that entire time I was in the bed and it felt so great. There is just something about a tanning bed that makes you feel oh so much better. I felt like I had accomplished so much in one day! Time to head home to put away the groceries, separate my chicken an fish into freezer bags and actually get some food into my tummy.

Sam decided to take me out for dinner to Milestones since I had never been before and it was actually really nice. Wouldn't min going there after my competition for a delicious cheat meal! I ended up ordering a Seafood Salad with salmon, shrimp, avocado and a bunch of greens in a white wine vinegar dressing. It was absolutely amazing the sad part was when the waitress brought over a menu of desserts to taunt in my face. A sad sigh passed as I said no thank-you but I did look over the names of some tasty treats I would love to try when all this is said and done.

Back to my house to relax for a few hours before I hit the sheets and by relaxing I mean prepping meals and of course writing you all this lovely blog. This was most definitely a GTR day for me- Groceries, Tanning and Relaxing- hmm if only these days could come more often. Sigh!

Till tomorrow- the beginning of a new and challenging week
Love you all,
Caitlin Cooke #11

Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows

I woke up this morning bright and early as usual around 8am to get ready for an extremely exciting day for one BIG reason. Today, I was getting a new workout plan and new nutrition plan- YAHOOO! I could not wait to get to Free Form Fitness to hopefully cross my fingers hopefully have less veggies and maybe a teeny tiny bit of natural sugar from fruits, possibly-maybe?

Rob Lagana my trainer definitely saved the best or last and showed me my new workout plan first. I must sayif the other workout plan didn't drain me this one most DEFINITELY will. Supersets after supersets after superset! My workouts are also now split into working a bunch of muscles in one day- talk about a sore girl I am going to be. Me and the foam rollers are going to be best friends as well as worst enemies for the next 7 weeks I tell you. After grasping my head around my absolutely WILD new program it was time to get m new nutrition plan and BF % measurement- THE BEST PART! Okay and your new nutrition plan, first thing my eyes scattered around looking for was sugar, sugar- YESSSSSSSSS! I am allowed apples now and post-workout protein shakes :) If there was one happy girl that day it was ME! My diet was very similar to the previous one with less grams of veggies more protein and an apple added and some NUMMY protein shakes! I KNOW! You are probably wondering why I am SO happy about a little apple and some protein powder but TRUST me going weeks without any type of sugar you start to go a little crazy- LITERALLY. The night before I had dreams like the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs that Reese's (my fav. chocolate bar) and Sour Patch Kids (fav. candy) were falling from the sky as I laid in a land of sweeet goooddnesss- lack of sugar.. hmmmm I THINK SO! This apple and protein add in was VERY much needed. On to getting pinched by the calibers and measure my body fat percentage. I was so nervous as the previous time I had went in my BF % had went up and I left the gym somewhat sad and disappointed. NOT THE CASE TODAY!!!! My body fat percentage was sitting at 14% for 7 weeks out I was one happy girl- I am right on track for Bikini category.

A very happy girl :)

 As I left Free Form Fitness with a smile on my face a new tub of protein I felt like skipping down the street in happiness- I am pretty sure I heard the song "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" pass through my head for about 5 minutes. Hahaha I am not crazy this was a GREAT day in My Fitness Journey. I instantly called my dad and boyfriend to inform them of the fabulous news about my new diet, workout and body fat percentage.

Being so happy I figured what better place to bring this burst of energy than to the the gym. I love Carleton gym on weekends because it is so empty and figured it would be a great place to start Day 1 of my new program. Cable crosses, laterals, curls, extensions, squats, lunges- ya this was ONE day, boy oh boy was I going to feel it tomorrow. I could already feel it before I had finished all my super sets and headed to the stair master. I figured I would take it somewhat easy on the cardio today and not over due it because I could already feel how tight my entire body was. My day at the gym wasn't quite over as I still had to train a friend of mine after my wild workout. Tomato faced trainers are the new style- okay?

It was time to head home and clean out my 50 zillion containers and frying pans from egg whites, chicken and fish. I was completely drained and exhausted and figured I owed it to myself to have a quick hour long power nap. My boyfriend was working till about 9pm so I definitely had time to nap and get ready afterwards before we planned on actually doing something for once besides anything that involved the words- work, gym, bed, sleep or movies. He ended up getting to my place around 10pm and I had NO idea what I wanted to do.

Luckily my friend Megan texted me and invited us over. As I sat as Megan's watching everyone have alcoholic beverages it actually didn't bug me that much until we decided to head out to the bar. I must say it was nice to get out and go somewhere to get a bit of that social atmosphere but WOW bars are boring if your not drinking, everyone excuse me for saying this seems so out of control and much more stupid.

Horse Race @ Casino

 I didn't really want to be in that atmosphere anymore so we decided to head to Casino du Lac Leamy for some fun games. Me and Sami headed straight for the 25 cent horse races and only played for about 10 minutes before we started to get bored. I decided to sit infront of some 5 cent slots for about another 5 minutes when I ended up winning a big 9 dollars. We only put 20 dollars down at the casino and walked away with 11 less that we had started with. I am not a gambler at all so the Casino isn;t really for me but it's a different atmosphere to go to for a little it when your looking for something different to do. It was already around 4am since the clocks went ahead at midnight so I figured it was BED TIME.

We are now back at my place and so tired we can barely keep our eyes open- its definitely time to hit the sheets! Its been a long busy and fun Saturday bloggers!

Till tomorrow- I love you all,
Caitlin Cooke #11

I'm On TV

Today was most definitely an extra early morning for me! It was up at 7am to start getting ready because I had a doctor's appointment at 9am at Carleton University. I ended up catching the 95 the minute I got off at Lebreton and then the O-Train right away as well. So I arrived on campus around ten after 8 and had about 45 minutes to spare. I am most definitely not an early morning cardio person but I had time to spare- what was there to do? Okay- FINE! I hopped on the treadmill for a 30 minute incline speed walk. It actually felt amazing afterwords I felt much more awake, alive and prepared for my day.

It was then time for my doctor's appointment which lasted about another hour because the nurse thought I was waiting for someone and put my papers in a different place than she should of. Turns out a 5 minute appointment lasted about an hour of waiting in a chair and watching the time tick by. Finally finished my appointment, it was back to the Carleton gym to get in my weight training for the day.

It was yet again Leg Day and I was full of energy and ready to push them to an entirely new level. Squatting 20Ibs heavier than the previous leg day and maxing out on way more toe squats than I had as well. After a pretty grueling leg workout, I was so stiffed legged I had trouble walking. I WAS NOT done yet, I wobbled over to the stair master and managed to push through a rough 30 minutes of absolutely insane leg burning. Even my friend Corey was laughing at me as I walked or should I say dragged myself out of the gym.

Unfortunately at work from 2-9pm by this point in the day I was already exhausted! I had finished off 2 cardio sessions and my weight training and it was only 2pm in the afternoon. Luckily it managed to be a busy Friday night at the salon and was running around like a crazy women from the minute I walked in till 6:30pm. It was finally at that time that I was able to sit down and have the meal I was suppose to at 3pm. With only about a 30 minute break the salon picked up again till the end of my shift. By this point I was absolutely drained but I COULDN'T go do bed yet.

Ringgirl Debut on The Score for Wreck MMA

Tonight was the night that I had my debut on TV. The Wreck MMA: Strong & Proud show in which I was ring girl for back in January was showing on the TV tonight. Me and Sami decided to go and watch the show before we both headed to bed for some much needed rest. It was actually pretty neat watching it on TV with all the commentary although I only seen myself at the end of the show it was definitely worth it all. My parents even made fun of me asking for a picture of the only time I would ever be on television. Thanks Mom & Dad love you too! Lucky enough the show is split into three parts with the next part showing March 18th at 10:30pm on the Score again- YAHOOO!

It is getting late and I have a fun filled busy day tomorrow to blog to you all about so until tomorrow bloggers!
Love you all,
Caitlin Cooke #11

Dress Me Up Please

I woke up today, well how about we don't talk about when I woke up today! Finally a day off work- ouuf and did I ever take advantage of that. My boyfriend woke up around 7:30am and woke me up at that time geeez so I figured hey- day off I am sleeping in. Next thing you know I wake up again from my coma and its 1:30pm- WHAT!! Apparently all this crazy running around and not my 8 hours rest that I absolutely need finally caught up with me.

Awake finally in mid-afternoon it was time to eat some of my meals and get going with my day- hmm but for what? I really didn't have anything to do today. Okay fine, I sat down and finally enjoyed watching a little Desperate Housewives that I had missed on Sunday- LOVE that show!! After lazing around my house for a few hours I decided to hit up the gym around 7pm. It was back to Arms and Shoulders- BOOO!! Generally dislike because my arm muscles are in need of a makeover but got to do what you got to do. After an unfortunate arm day, which I must say I yet again increased my weight on my Ez-Curls and did some dips without no weight support- yahhooo me! I decided to conquer the Stair Mill- I am telling you if one machine does miracles its this one. Sweat, tight, sore and hot are words that describe my 30 minute battle with this beast.

Time to hit the showers and maybe make myself look half decent for my boyfriend for once in my life! He either see's me
1. Coming out of the gym
2. Out of the shower
3. In sweat pants and a t-shirt *its comfy after the gym*
4. In pajamas

I really owe it to him to maybe DO SOMETHING with myself this weekend since my lack of effort in doing my hair, clothes exc. is generally slacking. Like I said we met up after the gym, me in sweat pants, a sweater and wet hair-- surprise, surprise!

The Entire Collection :)

Finally, I am home to relax and finish the second of the Harry Potter movies. Pfftt- yes I may be a nerd and have all the movies and I may or may not be watching them all again, whatever okay, don't judge! Now relax time with POTTER.

Till tomorrow bloggers,
Caitlin Cooke #11

Popeye

As tired as I was this morning I was up bright and early at 7:30am to get ready for a lonnnng day! Luckily I had prepped every single meal the night before so the only thing I had to worry about was my get me up breakfast. It was a goody too! Egg whites with spinach, 1 hard boiled egg, shredded wheat and some more spinach with a little bit of balsamic. Talk about a champions breakfast or maybe Popeyes breakfast, all I know is that it was DELICIOUS this morning!

Breakfast of Champions

After breakfast it was off to the gym since I was going to be working 3-9pm tonight at the salon. I am not really a fan of the morning workouts I must say. I have always been a late afternoon or evening type of workout gal. Gives me time to actually "wake up"! Sooo unfortunately at the gym in the morning to work on some Back & Abs. Yah boi! I added weight to almost all my previous weight of three days ago and even did more reps on some of the sets. I could feel my back today alright and not to metion my abs felt like a ring of fire for at least an hour after my workout. I ended up running into a friend of my Winona who also trains at Goodlife for figure. Boy, its great to have a conversation with someone that is going through the same thing you are sometimes- they just 'GET IT'! 

Before work it was back to the grocery store to get some veggies- yes, crazy huh? I am going through veggies like they are going out of style. It's sad when the cashier's start to recognize you and the same stuff you buy every week. "Oh! Hey, your back for lots more greens I see." Oh boy! At least its not like I'm back for more bags of chips or chocolate, right? Leaving the grocery store I was carrying 3 bags of veggies and one giant gym bag to the bus stop to get to work. One guy even kind of chuckled and asked if I was going to be okay.

Finally at work, I was tired already I had felt like I had done so much in one day. WRONG! Work was jam packed from 3pm all the way till 8pm tonight. I could not even sit down to have my meal I was suppose to have at 3pm till 6:30pm it was THAT busy. Thankful to get a tiny break I ate my food so fast because by that point I had been STARVING. I didn't even finish cleaning up the salon till 9:30pm when we close at 9- alright I was overwhelmed and stressed I figured it was time for some relaxation to calm my nerves. I hopped into a tanning bed for 12 minutes and felt like a million bucks coming out fresh and revived.

After I was all done it was time to go home to bed with my boyfriend. Now it is time for me to hit the sheets because I am struggling to keep my eyes open as I write you this blog!

Till Tomorrow!
Caitlin Cooke #11

Dynamite

What a disturbing morning I had! I had a dream that my alarm on my iPhone was going off and I forgot my password to get into my phone so it kept buzzing and buzzing- I was going crazy. Finally, I ended up getting the code but my phone locked on me again and started buzzing and buzzing again. I then woke up from my sleep to realize my ACTUAL phone had been going off for about 20 minutes and my ACTUAL alarm had been ringing. Talk about one heck of a deep sleep- clearly I was over tired. I have never had that happen to be before nor do I want it to either I could hear that stupid alarm in my head for a good hour after wards.

Soon after a weird awakening I had to prep some more meals for the day and I was headed to the East end to visit the lovely Joan Macdonald of Daydreams Fitnesswear! I was so excited to try on my bikini because we had to keep canceling appointments due to some unfortunate things that had happened. When I finally tried it on and came out to the mirror it was as amazing as I had imagined. Although my body didn't make the bikini look hot quite yet I most definitely will rock it out on April 30th!

Pretty in Pink- Not Finished Yet!!

After trying on my bikini I quickly had to hop on a bus to Carleton U to meet a friend whom which I am personal training. A little bit nervous and scared that I was going to destroy her in the gym- which I did a little but took it easy on her since was the first time, she came out with some sweat and a little light headed. I must say though she was quite the trooper giving it her all when she had no more fuel to really push her and doing more sets that I would push her to do even though her body wanted to give out. That is the smell of success and dedication! I must say you did an absolutely amazing job today and you should be proud of yourself because I AM PROUD of you. Remember to breath ;)

So after all fun and games were done it was my turn to kick that old gym equipment around. Again we were back to my FAVORITE DAY- you know it BIG Legs Day :) So it was back to lunges, 4 different types of squats and you know it my favorite glutes and leg working machine the Stairmaster. I managed to burn 500 calories in 30 minutes not too shabby. My record is 820 cals looking to break the 1000 mark this competition anybody wanna make any bets on that? My legs were feeling pretty stiff after todays wild legs and it was time to EAT. I quickly changed and headed downstairs to the tables to eat some Salmon and Green peppers as I waited for my dead phone to charge. Anyone who knows me- KNOWS I cannot live without my cell phone.

Yahoo! My cellphone was all charged and first thing I had to check you guessed it FACEBOOK. I noticed a tag in a note from Dynamis Fitness and Lifestyles Inc. OMG- Nooooooo, YESSSSS! I had done it I made the Top 15 in the Search for the Next Dynamis Girl, I ended Round #1 in 9th place out of 69 (I believe) phenomenal women. WOW what an accomplishment on its own! Now, we all just have to wait and see who the overall winner will be. I must say I would not want to be those judges what an exceptional bunch of ladies to have to pick from. I wanted to thank my friends and family who supported me in the search- I would not have been able to do this without you and appreciate your support within my fitness dreams. It most definitely does not stop here. You can check out the amazing products that Dynamis has at www.dynamisonline.net. And don't forget to read my Dynamis entry for the Search while you are there at http://thedynamisdifference.com/pages/Caitlin+Cooke/37 In celebration of such a fantastic day- I came home and made myself a Dynamis REFUEL-S6K, white chocolate brownie protein shake... yummmy in my tummy!!

Finally home and have prepped my meals for tomorrow, just need to hop in the shower and wait for my amazing boyfriend to come over and enjoy the rest of this incredible day I had today! 

Blogs yaa tomorrow- Love you all!
Caitlin Cooke #11