My first Arnold Sports Expo aka The Fitness Oscars

The Arnold Sports Expo- or as I like to call it, the Oscars of the fitness and sports industry. I was so honored to be asked by OhYeah! nutrition to represent the company as an OhYeah! Girl. This would mean I would get to work beside a few of my idols such as Amanda Adams, Sarah Hoots, Dela Baldwin, WBFF Pro Kelly Klarich, Kelly Smith, and Michelle Avila... needless to say I was nervous as heck! I had no idea how these women were going to respond to me and to be honest, I felt so inferior to all of their fitness accomplishments.

I arrived on Thursday day and waited for my roommate Sarah Hoots to arrive (I was too afraid to leave the room alone because everyone I saw was an amazing face I had only seen in magazines). When Sarah arrived I was so relieved to see the bright, smiley, friendly face that greeted me. We had messaged eachother before the event and I felt like we were already close friends. This lady is beautiful inside and out, I was blown away when I saw her. We decided to make a grocery run to get some healthy eats for the weekend. Next thing I know, someone knocks on the door... AMANDA ADAMS. Now I have been following her page for a while and am truly inspired by her daily. I was nervous to meet her.... but in she walks, looking adorable as ever, greeting me with a ginormous hug and a warm welcoming. I instantly felt like part of the OhYeah! family and was instantly relieved!

Friday, I flaunted my dark spray tan, freshly curled hair, and walked in to the expo proudly wearing the OhYeah! outfits I had only dreamed of. This is the morning I met the rest of the team and again, the only word to describe the connection was family! We worked our butts off all weekend!!! OhYeah! had an amazing prize wheel, free samples, and my favorite RTD protein shakes! We launched two brand new flavor OhYeah! bars and let me tell you, they are INCREDIBLE! Butter toffee crunch and chocolate caramel candies (with M&M pieces). All of the feedback was positive and I loved watching peoples' faces after they stuck the sample in their mouths. Immediately their faces lit up and I believe the most common thing I heard was "Wow!!" OhYeah! really outdone themselves this time!
Friday night I had the pleasure to have dinner and spend time with my OhYeah! colleagues. I had a blast and laughed (or snorted) nonstop :)

Saturday was the longest day at the expo but it went by pretty quickly!! More fans, more athletes, more samples! We had an amazing italian dinner after the expo and sadly, began to say goodbye. I can not thank ISS Research and OhYeah! enough for the amazing opportunity to work with some an amazing company. It is truly a pleasure!

Sunday was much more laid back and thanks to a successful weekend, we were low on inventory. Amanda was nice enough to walk me around to meet a few of my idols such as Jenna Renee and Tosca Reno. I died! what an incredible experience. She did not have to go out of the way like that for me, but she did. It spoke volumes to her character. On my flight home, I had the utmost pleasure to sit with MY IDOL Chady Dunmore (In the metaphor of this being the Oscars of fitness, Chady would have won the equivelant of "best actress" three years in a row). She was so gorgeous, down to earth, and helpful. She mentioned the word "ripple effect" and I dont think she will ever realize the ripple effect she had on me that day. Chady, than you so much for your kind words of encouragement and for chatting with me like old friends.

Girl Talk- I think I will take the girl talk amongst the OhYeah! girls more than anything from the expo. I feel so much less anxious knowing that these girls, as amazing athletes and as inspirational as they are, are REAL women. They enjoy good food from time to time but know how to get on track. Sarah, Amanda, and I even enjoyed some wine our first night in town. It was nice to let loose and get to know eachother. The top thing I took away from our chats is that EVERYONE HAS INSECURITIES! While one person is working hard to lose weight, there is another person who is beating themselves up to build muscle and gain weight. Ladies, we have to support eachother and stand by eachother. We have to build eachother up and make sure we point out the positive attributes our friends have. There is so much we can learn from eachother and with honest female support, we can change the world and how we look at ourselves! So I challenge you to compliment every woman you see today- it can be subtle or noticing a large change. I promise you will make them smile and it will not go unnoticed!

XoXo,
Christy LeAnn

A Valentine's treat for you: My typical daily food log:

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

When transforming your body and making a healthy lifestyle change, people WILL notice and people WILL ask you what your secret is! There is no secret amazing pill that will help transform you into a fit, active, person- it takes hard work and dedication. I hear people say all the time, "I don't mind exercising but I can't give up my bread/sweets/starbucks...etc......" or "I don't have time to workout..." or "I don't know how to cook and I certainly don't have time..." Excuses. Trust me, like I shared in my intro blog, I have used them all. Lifting weights and appropriate cardio IS important, but transforming your body is at least 80% diet.

First off- I totally understand time management is HARD and seems unreasonable. That is why I do Food Prep Sunday and prep my meals for the week!! You can refrigerate/freeze them and reheat them and it makes it so much easier on you and your time. Turn up your iPod and listen to uplifting music in the kitchen while you prep- make it an enjoyable experience! Enjoy a cup of green tea and a funny television show or pull out your yoga match and stretch while your Turkey Meatloaf Muffins are cooking! (these are examples of what I do and it really makes for a productive, relaxing, and enjoyable Sunday afternoon or evening).

Also to save on time, I take advantage of Trader Joe's fresh microwaveable chicken breasts, green beans, broccoli, and asparagus. I cook my sweet potatoes right in the microwave or make precut fresh sweet potato fries while my turkey muffins cook. Uncle Ben's 90 second brown rice- yes please! Tilapia seasoned and cooked in bulk- thats right! OhYeah! Bars & Shakes- you're getting the hang of it now :) Like I said, I work 12 hour shifts, co-own a small, growing fitness business, and have a life.... I have to take advantage of eating clean as quickly and easily as possible. With that being said, I definitely like to whip up some of the fancier recipes in Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet Cookbook when I have a  little extra time on my hands. It usually impresses my boyfriend!

My amazing friend Margie let me in on a little life-changing secret: "IF YOU CAN READ, YOU CAN COOK". So true, just follow the instructions. These days you can even pull out your iPhone, iPad, or laptop and follow along with someone as they make the same recipe (I watched all of Jamie Eason's videos for how to cook her recipes before I committed them to memory).

My Typical Day's Mealplan


Meal 1 (around 6:00am): Trader Joe's Steel Cut Quick Cook Oats & 4-6 liquid egg whites with green onions and a sprinkle of fat free feta cheese, 1 cup of coffee using OhYeah! Vanilla or Chocolate Ready-to-drink shakes as creamer! I also drink ISS Research Promino Plus on my way to work and take a multivitamin and ISS Research's BCAA supplement)

Meal 2 (around 9:00am): OhYeah! Cookies & Cream Total Protein System with ISS Research L-Glutamine added in, 10 almonds

Meal 3 (around 12:00pm): 4oz Trader Joe's Balsamic & Rosemary Grilled chicken, 3 oz. sweet potato, and 3-4 oz. of Trader Joe's microwaveable green beans

Meal 4 (around 3:00pm):  4 oz Trader Joe's grilled chicken breasts in an ezekial wrap, sprinkle a little fat free feta cheese on and microwave for 1min 15sec... top with a ton of spinach! Mmmmm delicious and quick wrap!

Meal 5 (usually around 6:00pm and my pre workout meal on my work days): OhYeah! Protein Shake, apple slices and almond butter

Pre-workout drink: I always take MPR Pump as a pre-workout drink. I also take micronized creatine as I am trying to put on a little more muscle and weight. I mix these two together 30 min before I workout!

Post-workout drink: I either have an OhYeah! protein shake with L-Glutamine added in OR I take a post-workout drink called Aftershock (My boyfriend buys it so it's really whichever we have on hand at the house. Both have worked great for me in terms of seeing results and good recovery)

Meal 6 (around 8-9:00pm)- Tilapia Veracruz (adapted from bodybuilding.com's recipe) and broccoli

Pre-bedtime: OhYeah! TPS or plain casein shake (the TPS is a whey & casein blend, casein takes approx 6 hours for your body to digests making it ideal for a pre-bedtime shake... keep that metabolism burning y'all!!) and I am trying ZMA. A representative from ISS Research stated via email, "ZMA is completely safe for women.  It is a natural supplement and consists of Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin B-6.  The best time to take it is right before bed, it will help you sleep deeper and better.  This, in turn, will help your muscles grow, strength to go up and give you some more energy the following day."


Here is the recipe for the Tilapia Veracruz dinner that I make:

IFor Fish:
• 4-6 oz. tilapia filets, red snapper or sea bass
• Cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, optional

Ingredients For Salsa:
• 1 cup tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup pitted green olives, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Few dashes of Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce

*Time Saver Tip: To cut down on cooking time substitute your favorite salsa for making it from scratch but be sure to add fresh cilantro for that fresh garden flavor. 


*Christy tip: I use Trader Joe's organic unsalted diced tomatoes from a can and strain them for my salsa. I also do not add hot sauce to my salsa because the fish has enough kick to it and I like how fresh the salsa tastes with it! I also no not use the green olives because the only way I eat an olive is if its stuffed with bleu cheese and in the bottom of a martini glass ;)

Directions:
1.Preheat broiler. Rinse fish well and pat dry. Spray both sides of fish lightly with cooking spray then sprinkle with lime juice, cumin, pepper and salt. Place fish on pre-sprayed broiler pan then broil 4-5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. (Time will vary according to thickness.
Most tilapia is quite thin and may need less time and often does not need to be turned over or it will fall apart. Use a slotted spatula when carefully turning if needed. Be careful not to overcook this delicate fish or it will become dry.)

2.In a medium bowl mix together all ingredients for salsa, toss gently and chill. Serve fish over Spanish rice and black beans topped with salsa and fresh limes.


*Christy tip: I just serve mine over Uncle Ben's 90 second rice

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/rotw26.htm


With all this being said, it IS Valentines Day and after my workout Im going to dress up all snazzy and head out to a nice dinner! I am not skipping on the red wine or dessert!! How to spell HAPPINESS- B.A.L.A.N.C.E.



XoXo,
Christy LeAnn