7 Things to Do When You Mentally Feel Like S^&t

I don't know about you, but 2015 was a tough year. It had me on the ropes every other day, my entire life was flipped upside down nine days into it, and here I am at the end, much better off than at the beginning. But wow. Some of these past 365 days have been the hardest of my adult life. I don't know about you, but I need a year nap. See you in 2017, don't fucking vote for Trump.

If only. Here are 7 of my favorite, specific things to do when I am at the lowest of my lows, and all have a 100% success rate of making me feel better. Hope you can take something away from this and give it a shot!

1. Watch Bo Burnham's "What." This is approximately 1 hour of dry, passive comedic excellence. Bo Burnham is a young comedic genius. I turn this on (Netflix y'all) quite frequently when I feel awful. My boyfriend adores it as well, as does my sister. It is unbeatable. Caution: the first time I watched it, I did not like it and now I am OBSESSED. Sit through the whole thing; I don't know why the first watch doesn't feel right, but I have heard the same thing from other Bo lovers. First watch was rough, but now they love it. Maybe it's subliminal messaging. Who knows. But it is epic, and it is amazing. An absolute mood-fixer.

2. Listen to "Go Getter Greg", By Ludo. On option when you are short on time. This song has never failed to have me bee-bopping around by the first round of the chorus, even when I am in the shittiest of moods. It's funny, catchy, silly, creepy, and has a great tune. It's only a few minutes, what do you have to lose?!

3. Go To a Bakery. I mean...you know where this is going. Why going to a bakery will make you feel better: there is coffee, there are baked goods, and REAL bakeries have that adorably cute, quaint feeling inside. The food in the display case is beautiful and coordinated, there are giant chalkboard menus with little doodles, maybe there are a few tables inside that look older than you. An atmosphere that sweet, paired with a treat, can probably take your mind off of whatever is going on, even for a little bit.

4. Take a Shower or Bath. Sometimes something as simple as getting clean can make the biggest difference. Baths obviously have the added relaxation effect. You may even want to throw in a glass of wine with the bath or heeeeey a shower beer! Who doesn't love a good shower beer? If you've got great soap, even the aromatic effects can be a bit of a stress reliever.

5. Color a Picture. It isn't silly; adult coloring books (not naughty ones, get your head out of the gutter) are totally a thing now. They have caught on as a stress reliever because they WORK. You give yourself an hour, put aside your phone, turn off the TV, get rid of distractions and just pay attention to coloring. For one hour, the hardest decision you have to make is what color to make that leaf. It's fantastic! Widely available at Barnes & Noble.

6. Watch a Charlie Brown Movie. As I type this, I am about to partake in this special number six. I am tired, I had four patients today, I haven't eaten, my dog pulled dirty laundry out of my hamper while I was at work, it's cold, my boyfriend has to work all day...so yes. I feel like s*&t and am going to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas. This is a great feel good activity because Charlie Brown's character was created to have accentuated flaws and personality traits that everyone can relate to, AND BOY DO I. So by watching this, I can feel empathy for my man Chuck, laugh at the silly things they all say, and feel a twinge of nostalgia about watching this movie in years past.

7. Call Your Mother. Even if you refuse to admit it to yourself, this works like a charm. Mothers have magical powers of logic, reason, and comfort. They can answer the questions you didn't know you had and remind you of your worth. They can explain to you the why and lay out for you how and when it will get better. Moms have all the right words and put them in the right order. Call your mother. She loves you.

NPC Bikini Prep: My Own Way

My NPC Bikini prep officially starts Monday, November 30th. My show is APril 30th, 2016, giving me a nice 20 weeks to cut down and get my muscles showing! Since June, I have been doing a lot of reading and research about prep successes and failures, what common beliefs are, and different practices. So I am going to outline my approach, and touch on a few things I think are key for keeping my (and my boyfriend's) sanity over the next 20 weeks.

• No Coach. Yeah, so I am doing this coach-less, for a reason. I think that it is completely possible to educate yourself enough to handle creating your own nutrition and training plan to be stage ready. I am giving myself plenty of time to experiment with what works and what doesn't. I do not think I am an expert or all knowing at all, but I would much rather hold complete responsibility for how I perform in my hands, instead of trusting someone else to direct my body this way and that way. I also think this will be helpful in keeping me from feeling stressed out about disappointing someone that made goals for me. They are MY goals, the only person I am responsible to is MYSELF.

• Bikini. My bikini will be a custom made treasure from Glamfit Biknis, I am OBSESSED with everything they have ever made, I know they are the right choice for me.

• Training Plan. This is probably where a lot of experimentation is going to come in; currently my plan is to maintain The Cube Method (powerlifting) 3x days a week with 2x hypertrophy days. All non-leg days will include 15 minutes of HITT (high intensity interval training) at the end to get going on cardio, This still gives me 2x REST DAYS a week. This is going to be 20 weeks of work, I don't want to burn out in the beginning, rest is crucial. After the first month, I will see what kind of progress my body has made and will look at adding in more cardio. Ideally, I want to keep strength training the entire time; I enjoy it and I believe that one does not have to make themselves miserable with hypertrophy and cardio to maintain a stage body. This is my first time though, so again, it is all an experiment.

• Nutrition. Some of my key nutrition points: Alcohol intake will be dropped to once a week, and on that day the limit will be two drinks. My starting calories on November 30th will be 1890, and while I will be decreasing them slowly over these 20 weeks, I will NOT drop below 1600. I am an active woman, and I am not looking to starve myself. If I can't achieve a stage body without undereating, then I don't want it. I want to enjoy this process, and being hungry all the time is not something I am willing to do. Again, science tells me that I can lean out and still eat plenty with the right macros and the right level of activity, and that is what I am after.

• My Weaknesses. 
• French fries. Boy, do I looooove french fries. And I know this! I know and identify it was a weakness, therefore I have already planned to tackle it with...Veggie Straws!! Veggies Straws really do taste like french fries and they have an even better crunch. They aren't super healthy, but they are still MUCH healthier than french fries and will be a great substitute when the craving kicks in.
• Ordering out. Chicago is the mecca of delivery food. My boyfriend and I made an agreement when we moved here that we will never eat at the same place twice, there's literally that many places to choose from. And it's so tempting, and so easy...so will we completely stop ordering out? No. If he wants something from somewhere that I can't macro, I simply will just eat something else. I have to stay determined and on my path, but without having to make my love suffer through cutting too :) 
• Sweets. I have a sweet tooth and I am not ashamed. Candy is awesome. My fix for this is allowing myself to actually have candy. Small doses...tracked doses. Completely cutting out a food can often lead to an over-indulgence. So a little bit here and there will be factored in.

The most important thing I want you to remember if you read this whole thing is that I will not at any point starve myself or let my caloric intake be at an unhealthy level; my boyfriend and I have discussed this many times, and I am set on that. If I can't get cut enough by eating a normal amount, I simply won't continue; I do not support any program or "coach" that recommends meal plans under 1600 calories a day, it just isn't healthy. I believe that this can be done with IIFYM and strength training, and I'm here to prove it! #eatingisntcheating #NPCbikini #bikiniprep