A video of one of my most memorable fitness adventures to date! AFAA workshop presenter, competition prep, my nursing career, fitness equipment face-off, motivation, and more!
Monday MOJO Video Blogs on YouTube
So I decided to also start a weekly video blog of humorous random rants, fitness and competition prep tips, motivation, jokes, and day in the life silly stuff that I am experiencing during my final weeks leading up to the stage. I will update this post with the videos from my YouTube channel on an ongoing basis. Get ready to enjoy some MO (Motivation) & JO (Jokes) to get you through your week:
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Isolate and Grow: Nourish Your Goals – Part 2
Isolate and Grow: Nourish Your Goals – Part 2
ISO-Ambassador Search: Challenge 2: Vote for me before December 1st at http://www.isolatorfitness.com
Click the InfoGraphic below to watch my challenge video submission and see why I love my #ISOBag!
Until next time…#EatClean, #TrainDirty and #IsolateandGrow compliments of your very own #ISOBag on sale NOW at http://www.isolatorfitness.com
~ I AM CANDICE MARIA ~
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Isolate and Grow: Nourish Your Goals
The following blog will show you step by step how I #IsolateandGrow with the help of my #IsoBag!
Step 1 : Stock up on healthy food and clean eats! Can’t eat healthy if your kitchen isn’t healthy!
Step 2: Pick a cooking day. Cook as much as you want to have ready in advance. I typically do 2 to 3 days worth because I’m in competition prep.
Step 3: Fill the handy containers. How nifty are these! I typically store what ive cooked and fill my containers nightly for the next day’s worth of meals.
If I know my schedule is going to be super hectic I will fill containers for 2 days worth of meals.
Step 4: Refrigerate until morning or Pack your #IsoBag. If you filled your containers for the next day or several days just place everything in the refrigerator.
If you filled containers specifically for that day go ahead and pack your bag.
Step 5: Hit the ground running, your #IsoBag has you covered! As a busy full time grad student, yoga teacher , fitness trainer, part time nurse and figure competitor staying fueled with healthy food on the go is essential to my success.
The following are just a few highlights from a typical day with my #IsoBag:
The list goes on! Trust the process, trust the bag and #IsolateandGrow!
Until next time. ..#EatClean…#TrainDirty
~ I AM CANDICE MARIA ~
Don’t forget to visit Isolator Fitness to vote for me to become your next #ISOAmbassador
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Unapologetic Swagger – Part 1: The Lifestyle of an Athlete
It has come to my recognition that sometimes “fit people” intimidate, shock, or even inspire “not so fit people” without even saying a word…. #sorrynotsorry! I can’t help how I look and carry myself. ..like Bey and Nikki say ” Flawless…I wake up like this!”…
…because I grind day and night giving all I got to live this lifestyle and reach my dreams!
The Panel of Commentary – Can’t Take This Body No Where in Public…LOL!
“What inspires you to stay so fit?” – Grocery shopping
“Man I need your diet!” – Grocery shopping
“You work out don’t you?” – Post Office line mailing in my competition registration
“You look great, but you look awfully lean!” – Owner at the yoga studio I teach at
“You look like you have one of those ‘Zumba’ bodies, I sell Amway, want to be a representative?” – Lobby of a residential site I train at
These and other statements along with awkward stares, all but one happened within a 24 hour period by the way, are a part of my day to day life during my bodybuilding competition season.
I usually just smile, knod, respond the best way possible and press on, or if I feel like I can drop a little knowledge on a person to push a little harder then I make a deposit and roll on!
If this is how people treat an amateur, I can only imagine what the other side, yeah being at the top feels like! The official winners circle, pro status! “I must be doing something right!”
I continue to count down to September 27th and let the comments, questions, and stares be my motivation.
Until next time…#EatClean…#TrainDirty
~I AM CANDICE MARIA ~
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Natural Bodybuilding – Part 4 – Post Competition Celebration
Binge Clean – eat healthy, fun and nutritious. Yes 1st thing I laid hands on were some carbs in the dressing room backstage… bruised banana anyone?…lol!
Get home to change clothes for the post show Ruby Tuesday meet, greet, and critique and grabbed hold of a bowl of sweet potato, broccoli
and a couple scoops of my food addiction #cashewbutter
So yeah my post competition “binge” was all healthy food… #dontjudgeme! …lol! Even after attending the Ruby Tuesday meet, greet, and critique with the judges after the show, it resulted in a salad to go as my meal choice!
The reason? I have another show to prep for that’s why! I #refuel my body for performance, not for pleasure, it’s a huge difference!
But please believe every bit was devoured before the night ended, my muscles were famished. ..lol!
Stay tuned for Part 5…..
#EatClean … #TrainDirty….
~ I AM CANDICE MARIA ~
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Stairway to the Stage
If your gym doesn’t have one of these machines, either start a fundraiser to help them get one or transfer your membership!…lol!
This machine puts all other cardio gym equipment to shame! Think a non-stop mall escalator going down, but you’re supposed to be walking up! #ABEAST!
Don’t mess around and look at a TV or talk to the person next to you, or check your iPod, or your ass will end up on the floor! This is not a machine for the casual exerciser, you know those people that camp out on cardio equipment, phone in one hand, magazine in the other, headphones plugged into a TV with a remote close by! Stay the #effoffthismachine! You won’t make it out alive! It WILL eat you and your #effin’ magazines!
I haven’t witnessed this, I just have an issue with seeing people do “lazy cardio” in the gym, okay pet peeve rant over! But I like having my “own machine” designed for the hardcore folks like myself, however it still challenges your balance cause when your legs start to get tired there’s no stopping it, slowing it down, stepping to the side, like I see idiot treadmill walkers do! (Okay last pet peeve rant I promise!)
Even the “pause” button doesn’t truly stop this monster, because it moves with the weight of your body on the steps, so you have no choice but to keep stepping up, and go hard or it will spit you out on the effin’ floor!
I used to be a fan of other forms of “slow cardio” like the stairmaster or max inclined treadmill walking, but since working for and working out at a new gym in recent weeks I have fallen in love with the Stairmill, it’s like the best of both worlds, plus my current competition coach and mentor swears by it as a pivotal asset to my prep.
I even watched a #DLB video one day where she even endorsed the benefits of doing your cardio on the stairmill as a competitor.
So needless to say, I’ll be climbing 5 days a week for 30 minutes until I hit the stage! My #StairwaytotheStage, just like in life, it’s just enough light for the step I’m on in the process!
Just my thoughts and a glimse into the #mindofamaniac #fitnessjunkie!
Until next time….#EatClean … #TrainDirty and #WORK! #HUSTLE! #KILL!
~ I AM CANDICE MARIA ~
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30 Days Back to the Stage
The art and science of amateur and professional natural bodybuilding is a strenuous and very delicate process. You get comfortable with being uncomfortable very quickly, especially if you want to see winning results!
So today I had my first official athlete’s check in with my friend and now competition coach, IFPA Pro Natural Bodybuilder, Ryan Davis. The pic above is from his winning show last Fall where he won his pro card in Atlanta.
It is my hope with his help to make just the right adjustments needed to step back on stage in front of a different federation and eventually crush my competition in the natural female bodybuilding circuit. My mantra now and days is #WORKHUSTLEKILL! I saw it on a #DLB video, and took it to heart! She’s one of my favorite professional female bodybuilders and she definitely works hard and kills her competition!
Anyway, back to the story. ..lol! I went into my first competition last Fall eyes wide shut, wrong federation, no connections, no trainer, no coach, which was a little arrogant on my part because I figured, I knew how to work out and eat right, how difficult can this really be. Too much pride to ask for a second pair of eyes to monitor my process, needless to say it showed on my presentation on stage and going home with nothing but an “experience” of just showing up. Fast forward to today. ..
This year my mind set has changed as even the best of the best pro’s have coaches, trainers, nutritionist, etc to help them prepare. It’s hard to keep your macros straight, adjust your own diet, maintain your workout schedule and juggle it all with work, life, and living. Having that support system of someone dedicated to your process to remind you of the important things, check on you, keep you focused when you feel like giving up because your carb intake is so low your body starts rebelling, and your getting cranky! Having someone in your corner, like a professional fighter in the ring truly matters!
I’m actually pretty excited about the next 30 days, moving forward from the current shape I’m in with the help of my coach can only get better as long as I stay focused and committed to the process! This is definitely a journey I decided to embark on mainly just for me, a little selfish, but in the end it makes me selfless! It teaches me to show myself what I could achieve with precise discipline. Sometimes I second guess it, get tempted to give in to “being normal” but I look at where I’ve been, where I am now, and how far I can go and I keep pushing, I keep food journaling, counting macros, and busting my ass everyday in the gym to be the best version of Candice I can be. OUTSTANDING!
Some may call it vain, others may say it’s crazy, but for me it’s a way of life, a passion, something I love! My desire is to live my dreams doing what I love as a health and fitness professional and making a comfortable living doing it, so if I never step outside of my comfort zone, I will never be seen, and if I’m never seen, I will never gain the platform needed to accomplish my dreams and goals in the future! So this journey is one #tobecontinued!
CANDICE MARIA 