Guest Post

Stephanie Crandall:
Hi, I'm Stephanie. I've posted on this wonderful blog a time or two, but here's a recap:
I'm a lover of fitness and interior decorating- two fields with no correlation whatsoever.
Currently, I am in the beginning stages of training for a figure competition that will be held this spring here in Utah! I've always wanted to compete and I figure, it's now or never!!

So I've told a few people about my goal, and apparently no one quite knows what these competitions mean so I wanna outline it for you, and within the next coming months, I'll be posting little updates of my progress =)

NO I am not doing a bodybuilding competition!! I do NOT want huge manly muscles, just so we're clear!

There are roughly 4 categories of competing. From the most feminine to the most masculine, in order they are:

Bikini, Figure, Fitness, and Bodybuilding

Want some pictures?

1. Bikini is a newer division (and my trainer actually thinks it's a joke). If you have a toned, fit body without heavy muscular definition, this is for you.

2. Figure is more athletic, muscular and lean (talkin around 10-12% body fat)

3. Fitness includes a dance routine (so, it's great with gymnastics or cheerleading backgrounds) and they are even more lean and highly muscular.

We won't even discuss bodybuilding..

SOOOO I've always been active, but not exactly "fit." Hence the post-baby shot of my husband and I at our WORST 2 years ago:

CRINGE!!

Anyhow, we've managed to get all that weight off (I am a certified personal trainer so I had better right?!) and I have hired on my trainer to bust my butt into the best shape ever.
The way my body is built- I hold onto muscle really well. Gymnastics will do that to ya. That being said, I'm not to be bulking up, but rather leaning out, trying to bring the body fat percentage down.

Here's kind of where things stand this week:

118.5 pounds, high 16%- low 17% body fat.

Training includes weight training 3x a week (for maintenance, no gains), although I am trying to get back to doing a dozen or so pull-ups!!

Cardio 5x a week

And keep calorie consumption in check

Still got a ways to go, but the approach we're taking is a slow one, for which I am grateful!

Stay tuned for updates!