Greetings!  

Happy Sunshine!  Two days in a row, could it be spring!?!??!?!

I worked out for an hour outside yesterday afternoon!  It was wonderful to feel the sun shining on me!  How does the sun give us motivation?  I cannot answer that question completely, but I know it helps.  I am ready for the winter to be over.  I am ready for sunshine and warmth! 

I have had a hard time this winter with getting and staying motivated, and I know a few of you have as well.  I think that we are into spring now.  Hopefully the motivation will follow.  I am ready to get out and run bleachers and do sprints at the track.  I am ready to go outside without a coat on.  I am ready to make some vitamin d! 

With the motivation coming back, it is time to really kick it into gear.  I have some big goals coming up this year.  Chris and I are going to Minneapolis, MN in April to get our Russian Kettlebell Certifications (RKC).  We will be working directly with the man who brought the kettlebell over to the United States.  If any of you have not been introduced to the kettlebell, it is like a cannon ball with a handle.  And it is my favorite training tool.  It builds functional strength and endurance.  It helps you burn a million calories, and it works you entire body.  With one kettlebell I can get you a workout like no other!

That being said, I am going to have to cancel boot camp for two days in April.  We leave on Thursday, April 14th in the afternoon and don't return until Monday afternoon, so class will be cancelled on Friday, April 15 and Monday, April 18th.  The five-day-a-weekers will receive a discount for the missed days.  Everyone else will be invited to come on an alternate day those weeks.  For the 6 AM class, I will have class Monday, Wednesday, Thursday the week before and Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday the week after.  Sorry for the inconvenience, but this certification will place Chris and I among the few elite athletes that are RKC's.  We have been training for this since last fall and are very excited to be going.

Wish us luck, it will be one of the most intense weekends and workouts of my life!  :)

June will bring the NPC Jr. Nationals, which I have committed to competing in as well.  So my workouts and diet are back to being incredibly intense and strict.  I want to be in better condition than I was last year, so that will mean increased time in the gym and at the track.  I am excited.  I love it that I have the opportunity with this show to become a professional athlete.  I am going to give it my all and see what I can do.  I will need more than luck for this one.  I will need your support and encouragement for the next 13 weeks!  Hopefully Team Blaudow will bring home some more trophies...and a pro card!

What are your goals?  What is your motivation?  What do you want to achieve this year?  Think about it.  Dream big.  The only person who can stop you from achieving anything and everything that you want, is YOU.  Yes, it might be a little bit uncomfortable, yes, you might have to step out of your comfort zone...but is making your dream a reality worth a little bit of uncomfortableness?  I think that it is...I think that any goal I set for myself is worth the pain and the discomfort.  I am going to give it my 100% best.  There is no reason not to, I may never have another chance. 

We only have a small amount of time to be awesome.  I want to look back over my life and be proud of what I accomplished, I don't want to think about what I should have done.  The pain fades, but the glory lasts forever!  Being proud of what you have done is something that no one will ever be able to take away.  This is the time to make yourself proud!  Set your mind to it, and GO GET IT!!!

Have a wonderful day.  Get outside and enjoy it!  The track is calling my name...I might just have to get up there this afternoon!!

Love you!  Emily 

P.S. If you have not joined the MyLeanBody Boot Camp on Facebook yet, please do so.  Julia and Heidi were so kind to create it for me.  :)