You Know What Happens When You {ASSume}... Just ASK the PEANUT!! // Fitness {Q&A} //

Over the last few months I've had a great time responding to messages from friends and people I've never even met regarding my love for FITNESS. Facebook has been a great avenue for people to follow my story and be comfortable enough to ask for help and advice. It has been a privilige to be able to share with people who are wanting to know what  type of program I use to stay in this kind of shape. Most of my answers have to do with my diet program of carb-cycling since that has been what's worked for me in getting lean and building muscle. I also love to tell people about living a Gluten Free lifestyle due to having celiacs disease.

Read about how I discovered my gluten

allergy in this blog post: My Transformation Story

 FITNESS {Q & A}

Q: Is there anything I can do to feel less squishy by the end of the week? I know this is not a solution for long-term results, but just any tips to help me feel a little fitter in a few days? Thanks for any advice!

A: No problem...I'm doing that all the time right now for photo shoots I have on the weekend and trust me I've been enjoying my peanut butter and sweets so the weight totally comes back.

My "SQUISHY" before photos from over the years!

I'm on the far right (High school 2000)

(Winter 2009)

(Summer 2010)

 The best thing to do is to not "cut out" carbs completely like a crazy person, but deplete them along the week and also during the day. If you know you want to eat "heavy" carbed on the weekend or we also call it "carb-load" then have your carbs around 150-175 each day for say Friday and Saturday. The drop the # down each day until the next Friday. Like 100 carbs on Monday, 75 Tuesday, 50 on Wed, and 25 on Thursday.

Within a couple weeks of carb-cycling I dropped bodyfat!

You will want to divide the carb amount by the 4-5 meals you are having and leave the last meal for just protein and veggies/fruit if you can.Seriously experiment with this and try your own #s but just have them drop down, weigh in first thing day after lowest day and see what happens.

Then you just repeat and I promise the body fat starts to shed,  I know it did for me ;)


Q. Hey girl!! I am curious, do you do the ETS workouts or do you follow your own program? I love your physique and am working hard on gains...curious which workouts you do!!


A. I haven't done an ETS workout yet. I kind of do my own mixture of group fitness classes for cardio and low-resistance training with only a couple of days of short heavy weight sessions. I think my diet and actually lack of constant cardio has been the reason I've gained so much muscle. I cycle my carbs with 2 pretty high carb days (175 each) and then the other 5 days with 25 carbs each. I stay around 100-120 grams of protein for every day.


That's a short summary of my program and I train myself now since a trainer can be expensive. I love classes at lifetime that feel like personal training sessions, makes the membership totally worth every penny! Thank you for the kind words and let me know if you have any other questions.

p.s. I hardly ever do protein shakes or bars, just food!

Q. I'm new into the world of fitness. I find your physique inspirational - since I'm a short girl as well...and its nice to see women of our stature raise up in the world of fitness competition!! As I said, I'm just getting my foot in the door and would eventually like to compete as well. Any tips you could offer me..as far as supplements you'd recommend...diet info...??

I'm a fairy active person and I do watch what I eat..but I feel like there needs to be an additonal ingredient in order for me to shape and reform my body. Was it hard getting started? Did you have to completely realter your lifestyle? Do I need to look for a coach...etc...

If there's any suggestions you could offer, that would be awesome!
Thanks lady!!

My Coach T - Perfectly Prepared

A. So glad you sent a message and you are looking to get into the fun world of fitness ;) Thank you for all of your sweet words!


I think being petite and short is pretty fun especially since it gave me the nickname Peanut ;) I started getting ready for my very first show exactly a year ago and my body was about 15% body fat, the only defined muscle that I had ever had before the was my calves.


So it's been amazing to see what a competition diet and regular weight trainging for a year has done to my physique. The changes continue to blow my mind. The diet was a bit hard to begin with just because it was so new. I met with Aaron Callister who is a PRO bodybuilder (he works with many female competitors), he gave me a carb-cycling diet program. His main suggestion for me was to only rely on lean food protein and to stay away from any supplement shakes/bars. Things would have been even harder if I didn't already have a severe gluten allergy. My allergy forces me to not even think about the bad carbs, but there's still ways for me to put it back on if I'm not careful.

Perfectly Prepared Ladies

If you are looking for a great coach you should hit up Tara Heartzen who leads the group of women called Perfectly Prepared. She does everything from diet programs to show prep and knows her stuff. Feeling confident with support before you go on stage is priceless in the experience.

You should come to one of Tara's workout/prep sessions with me, there is one this Saturday in St. Louis Park ;)

Good luck and I'll always be here for questions and support! - Bethany

Q. Hey girl!! Curious....what do you do for your cardio intervals? And do you ever have any long cardio days???


A. Nope, I heavily rely on my "carb cycling and clean" diet so I don't have to spend hours doing cardio. I get my high impact cardio training done in group fitness glasses like ones that are "boot camp" style about 3 times a week and then add in short heavy lifting sessions (30 min) abotu 3 x's a week and that's it!! Then when I can I dance to get more cardio in :)

Fitness America 2011

Q. I hope this message isn't too .... well nosy. ;0) I am considering doing my first figure or bikini competition and I am really concerned because I'm short and all those lovely long legged tall women - I just feel like I'm going to look umm shall we say "stout"? ;0)

May I ask how tall you are? Do you have a certain weight/size you goal for before a competition? How do you know when you're ready? Do you recommend a trainer or just giving it a go on my own? Is there a trainer you would recommend? What about food? I'm pretty much eating chicken or fish and veggies at every meal....is that what really really fit people eat???

I want to be strong and fit but not overly muscle-y if you know what I mean....Anyway, thanks for any wisdom you can share. Your pics are very inspiring!

Bikini Competitor Tarah Andrews 

A. Thanks for the nice message! I can say that I am rather short as well which is how I acquired the nickname "Peanut". I am right under 5'1" and started my training only a year ago. I have never been in this type of shape before so all of it is new to me.

I have a carb cycling diet with about 100-120 grams of protein a day. I don't do that much cardio and weight train when I can. You will want to make sure that your are having good carbs as well to be able to lean out properly and build any type of muscle. If you're worried about looking stout then only do low resistance training. I like to do both low and havy weights, but I like to have alot of muscle especially since I compete in figure.

If you are looking for a good person to consult with you should meet with Tara who owns Perfectly Prepared. She is my coach and manager who meets with a lot of competitors. If you want someone to give you a diet plan you can also meet with Aaron Callister who set me up on mine.


I hope that helps answer some of your questions. I'm not sure if I can be a huge help since I am a competitor and fitness model who DOES want to be as muscley as possible. If you're worried about getting huge like a body builder, you won't unless you try.

Also if you are scared of a lot of muscle then try BIKINI for sure ;)


Q. Hey girl! I'm wanting to try carb cycling, but I'm not sure how the schedule works, like 2 high, 2 low-1 high, 3 low-high, med, low...sheesh...confusing!!! Help please!!! :)


A. Here's how you can get started! Day 1: 175 carbs, Day 2: 150 carbs, Day 3: 100 carbs, Day 4: 75 carbs, Day 5: 75 carbs, Day 6: 50 carbs, Day 7: 50 carbs - Weigh in the day after your last low day and you should drop a bit. Once you start to plateau you'd play with the numbers a bit to make things harder and you'll drop again. This will lean anyone out and drop bodyfat. Divide the total carbs up for a day between your first 4 meals leaving the last 5th meal for just yummy veggies with your protein. Let me know what you think!!!

This is a great "CHARTICLE" a friend sent

me that follows the same Carb-Cycling concepts!

Look at this CHARTICLE closer at the link below:

CARBS ARE KILLING YOU

It's already March of a brand new year and I couldn't be more excited about what's in the works! My success story has been picked up by a well-known fitness magazine so watch for that news to be released soon. I have been working hard to stay in shape for photo shoots and my upcoming competitions. Save the date: Saturday, APRIL 21ST to cheer on your "PEANUT" while I hit the stage with a brand new Fitness routine and compete in the Open Figure Class. The regional show is Fitness America - Great North held in the Grand Room at the Mall of America. Stay tuned for more details and buy your tickets soon...only 6 weeks away!

My Next 3 Competitions!!!

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you at my next performance!!!

Bethany JN - Peanut

From "Love-HANDLES" to "Love-MUSCLES" // Photos of my Changes over the last Decade!

A picture can SAY IT ALL sometimes. What stage you were in life, were you happy then, were you stressed then, experiencing new things, meeting a lot of new people, developing meaningful relationships. We love taking pictures because we want something to help us remember that exact moment. What we're doing, eating, seeing, you name it! People document events for a reason. Why do you think Facebook has become so popluar over the last 3 years? When you actually take the time to sit and revisit these photos and memories, you can assess quite a bit of your life's journey. Check out this BEFORE and AFTER comparison! There is only a year and 1/2 time-frame between the 2 snapshots.

For me, I have been in a constant transformation mode, both internally and externally, since I hit my early 20's. That's what growing up is all about, right? Over the 10 years from graduating high school to approaching my 30th birthday I can say that I have experienced plenty of "adult-life-changing-moments". There have been challenges, opportunities and blessings. I have had different jobs, living situations, health struggles, seasons with depression and counseling, changing relationships, and more.

The most noticeable change that has been easiest to keep track of has been my "outward appearance". I started to grow out my "pixie haircut", stop wearing my glasses, and searched for a new life of eating healthier and being active in the gym. My weight has always been up and down especially when my body was overcome with chronic pain. But after realizing that I had a severe GLUTEN/WHEAT allergy my appearance has taken a major overhaul. Not only did my chronic pain go away, I felt better, had more energy and felt like I could conquer anything! That's how I got into fitness competitions this year. Now here's a look at my photos over the last 10 years.

 10 YEARS of PHOTOS (2000 - 2011)

Senior Prom  - High School (May 2000)

That's me on the left in the red dress and short hair!

I was never considered the skinny or athletic girl growing up or even in

high school. I was thought as the "cute-curvy" girl who knew how

 to "bust a move" on the dance floor with the dance team.

Moved to MN - Age 22 (Summer 2002)

I struggled with gaining weight during the 2 years I attended college,
but it became even more difficult when I moved to MN in 2002. I was starting
fresh in a new city all over again which was a lot to deal with.
I hit my heaviest weight at about 145 lbs at the age of 22.

Sister's NYC Wedding - Age 24 (Summer 05)

By 23, I decided to make some changes with my diet and joined a local gym.
I started lifting for the 1st time and enjoyed feeling strong and seeing changes.
Within a years time I lost about 25 lbs and felt great!

25th Birthday (May 2006)

26th Birthday (May 2007)



Colorado Girls Road Trip (Summer 08)



27th Birthday (May 2009)



(Summer 09)



New Years Eve (December 2010)

 Here I was probably at one of my heaviest points and the scale
didn't really show it, so I had no idea! My body fat had just increased
from the lack of working out without adding any more pounds. Crazy huh!

28th Birthday (May 2010)

These photos from my birthday were a real shocker to me and I knew

something had to change. I signed up with my trainer Al Norby for strength training

sessions and changed my diet. My body fat was at 24% the summer of 2010.



(Summer 2010)



Halloween - Katy Perry (Fall 2010)

 This was right around the time that I discovered my gluten allergy so I had

completed the Master Cleanse (10 days of liquids) and I dropped at least 5 lbs and

felt amazing! This was a kick-start to my "eating clean" lifestyle.

Pin Up Photo Shoot for Business  (Feb 2011)

I really felt great at the beginning of this year and decided to start training

for my 1st competition. I was at 15% body fat at this time.

Beginner Figure Overall Winner (May 2011)

By May, I won two 1st place titles in Figure and 2nd place in Fitness at the

Mr. and Mrs. Natural MN competition. I had the time of my life

and was a little under 9% body fat.

Modeling Shoot the week before Fitness America (Nov 2011)

I started training again in late July to compete with Tara Thatcher's Perfectly Prepared

team at the Fitness America Competition in Las Vegas. I gained more muscle

and leaned out even more! The transformation has been the most amazing journey!

Thank you for taking a look and hopefully

you were motivated and inspired!

Click here to read my recent post

about how I did at Fitness America!

Love Your Figure/Fitness girl,

BethanyJN (Peanut)

(please leave me a comment/message below!)

Vote For Me! - World Physique Modeling Contest

Since I competed in my first Figure/Fitness Competition this May, one of my new goals is to be a Fitness Model. I'm taking things one step at a time and learning about the industry as I go. In the next few weeks, I will have a photo-shoot with Proex Portrait for some fun "head-shots" to start building a portfolio. To get my feet a little wet, I decided to enter World Physique's Female Modeling Contest @ worldphysique.com.

You might be wondering what I would gain for winning a contest like this. I would get the chance to work with a well-known Chicago photographer, a free-subscription to World Physique's Magazine, and the title "Ms. World Physique" for the month of August. It would also help me gain some great exposure, networking and credibility in the fitness industry.

"My goal is too bring a sense of charm, character and class to any opportunity that I might have in Fitness Modeling!" - Bethany

The voting starts AUGUST 2ND 
and closes at the end of the month.

Please show your love and support for a

fun Fitness Personality like me!!!

Click here to VOTE!
THANK YOU :)

-------------------------- { SUMMER LOVIN' } --------------------------

Since the end of May, I have been in my first "Off-Season" from dieting and training. At first, I felt very lost and confused because I had become so use to my routine. Part of me was worried that with all of the "fun foods" and a bit of partying would set me right back to the weight I was last summer (20 lbs more). For a while I would weigh in every morning to see where things were at and freak out when things seemed so up and down.

 But after about 2 weeks, my body and mind adjusted to the whole thing. I kept active with my favorite workouts and also maintained a normal healthy diet. I still eat about 5 small meals a day, partly because my body is use to it and is hungry all of the time. I still focus on watching my carb in-take and make sure I'm getting a fair amount of protein. I admit I have enjoyed the cocktails, GF cookies with peanut butter when I feel like it and my favorite summer treat has been a Wendy's chocolate frosty!

MY SISTER, ERIN AND I ENJOYING A SUSHI DINNER

ON A BEAUTIFUL SUMMER NIGHT @ CRAVE'S PATIO

I have been pleasantly surprised that with the treats here and there I have been able to maintain a realistic weight for myself. My goal has been to try and stay within 5-7 lbs of my competition weight. Starting this week I will begin my "Training Diet" for my next competition in the fall. Going into my second training season is a little different than the first time because now I know what to expect AND dread!

Wish me luck while I start my 2nd Training Season! Here are some fun things I've done this summer and also ones that I still have to look forward to...

Day at a Waterpark

Bike Rides

Chelsea Handler Comedy Show

Jetskiing on Lake Minnetonka

Outdoor Cardio Boxing and Zumba

Campfires

Sleepovers with my younger sister

Laying out by the Pool

Cocktails

Katy Perry Concert

Sushi on the Crave Patio

Britt and Adam's Wedding

Having fun in the pool with friends!

Oh, why does it have to end!!
Hope you have a great rest of the summer

and don't forget to VOTE!

-Bethany

"Best Night of my Life!" - My 1st {FITNESS} Competition

Pictures I took along the way!

Earlier this year I decided to enter my first "Figure/Fitness Competition". I started my diet and training about 13 weeks before May 20th (the day of the show). Check out this post to read about {My Transformation Story} and how I got things started.

Everything was done in week intervals. My carb-cycling diet plan, my weigh-ins, the weight training, and the amount of cardio sessions I needed to do in order to stay on track. Before I knew it, the weeks were just flying right by. I had things to get in order like my posing suit, clear high heels, jewelry, tanning/nails/hair appointments, dance sneakers, costume and so much more! This part was just as fun as the training because I love the "girly-side" of the presentation. It was like getting ready for a Beauty Pageant made for Fit & Muscular Women.

Read this blog post

"What's Your {HOT HOBBY}? Scrapbooking, Photography, what about FITNESS?"

from my Fizzy Blog to see all of the fun things I ordered from

Etsy Sellers (like me) in preparation for the competition.

I truthfully had so much fun with my training during the whole 13 weeks. Go to "My Workouts" page to get an idea of what my training schedule looked like. I guarantee it's not what you would expect! About half-way through my training, my posing suit came in the mail and I was excited to see what it would look like. I put it on and tried not to panic. I already knew that I had started to get leaner (which I had) but with the suit on I had to fight those negative fears that I was too far behind and wasn't going to be able to pull this thing off. Instead of listening to those thoughts I just ignored them. I decided to have faith that if I kept forging ahead... everything will come together eventually.

3 coats of Spray-Tan!

 The week of the competition, I had my last weight training session and cardio class to keep things light and lean. In my free time, I would practice my posing and Fitness routine so I could to get things down and gain more confidence. I had an appointment set up by the show promoter to take a "polygraph test" to clear that I had been drug-free in the preparation for this show. The day before the show I had my very first couple of "spray-tanning" sessions which was interesting and sticky to say the least. I took it easy the night before. I ate light, watched a movie and tried to go to bed early.

I'll admit that the day of the show I was excited, nervous and anxious. I had no idea what to expect! It was like training for a marathon without ever have competing in a race before. When the competition started and I simply went with the flow. There were women in posing suits and heels EVERYWHERE! You could tell that the majority of the competitors had done a show before, so I tried to follow their lead. It was a little crazy at first because I had to go out on stage and pose without heels for the "X-treme Fit" category. Then run off-stage to get my clear high heels on as fast as I could because the "Beginner Short" category followed right after. My trainer, Al Norby would keep me focused and pumped up back stage with bicep curls, tricep dips and push-ups.

Competition Weigh-In: 108.9 lbs. (8-9% Body Fat)

I would have to say the most nerve-wrecking part of the night was presenting my "T-Walk" which is a solo performance of walking and posing on stage. This was my opportunity to strut my stuff and stand out from the crowd. I stayed calm and smooth once I started my walk. Hearing my friends and the rest of the crowd cheer made it even more exciting. I also made sure to focus my attention on the judges. I wanted them to feel like I was performing for them! I had no idea how my body ranked up against the rest of the women so I just did my thing!

After the "T-Walk" I quickly changed into my "Army Soldier" costume and got ready to perform my Fitness Routine. My choreography was a complete reflection of who I am: Sassy, Strong, Funky, Flirty and FUN! When I got to the 1-armed push-ups in the routine the crowd went crazy. It was so amazing to highlight my love for dance with the showcasing of strength. A combination that is the perfect fit for me!

The night went by like a blur even though the show lasted over 3 hours! Before I knew it, it was after intermission and we had the "awards section" to complete. They called out the Beginner Figure Short Class (myself and 3 other women). The swiftly named out the titles and awarded me with the 1st place trophy!!! What a feeling! I smiled as they took my picture, but in the back of my mind I knew that this meant I had another round of posing to do in front of the judges to compete for the Beginner Figure "Overall" title. Thankfully my posing coach, Lenore Theobald, prepped me for this possibility. I quickly went back stage with such a rush of excitement and grabbed my dumbbells and bands to get pumped up for more posing.

Eventually, they called us out, the Beginner Medium Winner, the Beginner Tall Winner and myself. We went through our quarter-turn poses twice which was intense and adrenaline pumping! The judges did their last minute notes and sent a note to the MC with the winner's name on it. After a dramatic pause, the MC announced the 3rd place title and then said "#24 Bethany Nelson" takes 1st Place for Beginner Figure Overall". My friends said they also heard the MC say "I'm sure we'll be seeing more of this competitor in the future!" as I walked off stage with my trophy. It officially was the "Best night of my life" and I hadn't even found out how I placed for the X-teme Fit category yet. It honestly didn't even matter that much anymore because I had accomplished so much already. I ended up with 2nd place for the X-treme Fit class and was proud to pack up 3 trophies for the night! What a great feeling and I CAN'T WAIT to compete again and see where things will take me!

{POSING DURING MY "T-WALK" PRESENTATION}

photography by OCB Productions

(see more photos here)



{X-TREME FIT DANCE ROUTINE}

photography by OCB Productions

(see more photos here)


Best Benefit:

Seeing where I could take my body physically

and learning how to COOK more!

Best Investment:

"30 minute" Personal Training Sessions

2-3 times a week with Al Norby.

New Guilty Pleasure:

A SHELLAC manicure at Salon Intrigue with Lisa

Hardest Hurdle:

Having allergic reactions to certain foods

even ones that are already Gluten Free.

Favorite Find:

BeautiControl Skin Care products.

Best Moment:

Seeing my "Family of Friends" during intermission

and then hearing my number called for the

Overall Figure Beginner Title.

Special Mentions to my Trainers,
Fitness Instructors and Coaches!

al norby
curt dahlen
aaron callister
lenore theobald
katie haggerty
nick bez