Week nine has our athletes feeling the grind. Jon has been in the gym following his routine to the tee. As far as availability for comments, Jon has been AWOL. This weeks comments from Carley summarize how self consuming a committment like this can be. Carley writes the following:

“Phase two is kicking my butt, but in a good way! The 3 hours in the gym is tough, but wondering what my body will look like after these 6 weeks keeps me going! I am eager to see even more changes, and even more excited about competing. I’ve taken up wearing heels more often to practice my walk haha. The diet portion of training has become much easier. I think I’ve finally forgotten what all good tasting (but bad for you) food tastes like, and fruits, veggies, and whole wheat stuff is delicious! The one thing I really feel I need to focus on is stress management now. I never truly realized how mentally draining training was. Meditation and early morning buddhist inspirational quotes help me evaluate certain things and situations and I feel more at peace, and overall more energized and happier! So if anyone else is training, I would highly suggest what I’m doing because is just as much mental as it is physical.”

Jon has started using creatine along with protein as part of his training regimen. The hardest part about taking the creatine has been maintaining a 64 oz. or greater intake of water. Finding balance between diet, workout, and managing the rigors of daily life is truly a challenge. So far, Jon and Carley have been up to the challenge and surpassed it. More good things to come.