Where have I been?

Hey guys, I know it seems like forever since I last blogged but I have been very productive!  No I did not forget about my little blogspot in the universe. Ive been terribly busy with training for yet another show (4 weeks out today) and I was given the wonderful opportunity to become a weekly contributer for RxMuscle.com. Every week I blog about something new, mostly fitness related with my little twist of motivation and randomness. I would like to invite you all to check out my weekly blogs at:

http://www.rxmuscle.com/rxgirl/jaime-bairds-road-to-the-olympia/2998-safiya-johnson-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-fitness-professional.html

Especially tune in for this weeks: HOW TO HAVE A "GOOD" BAD DAY! and feel free to share it with someone you love.

My reflections on the St.Louis Pro

Last weekend I competed in the St.Louis Pro Bikini. It was my first show of the season and my 5th Bikini show ever. For those of you who don't know, I earned my pro status as a fitness competitor in 2008 and started competing at the age of 16 in the NPC. My switch to bikini has been kind of a love/hate relationship with myself, lol. I love the division, I love the look, and most importantly I love the sass we are able to bring to the stage. On the flip side, bikini is what it is....BIKINI. There is no standard look and easily the most subjective division in all of the IFBB. With that said, there is only one round that will make or break you...and you either flaunt it or you dont.

Am I glad I did the show? Absolutely. Was this the best placing I've ever had in bikini? Uhhh...NO. Was the lineup competitive? YES...everyone looked great from top to bottom and everyone looked like they belonged on that stage. Even some of the less familiar names "brought it" this weekend. Was the judging fair? I believe so. As with any show there will always be a few placings that could have gone either way, but for the most part...the judging was fair. This was one of first shows where I felt all 3 callouts were actually judged from 1st to 14th place. And with that said, I am ok with my placing.

If you don't know how the judging works...basically they judge what shows up. The overall theme for the my lineup this past weekend was hard, hard, hard. Actually many of the girls showed up harder than the figure competitors. That I did not anticipate simply because I had attended the Arnold just two weeks before (thinking that was going to set the standard for the rest of the year) and I found a lot of the girls to be softer for that that show. YOU NEVER CAN TELL! So in comparison to the other girls...I was a bit softer and therefore penalized for that. On the flip side...had the girls been softer and a few girls leaner and harder...they would have been penalized. I brought in a tigher package than I did at my last show, yet I placed a lot higher at my last show. Get it??? YOU NEVER CAN TELL!

Your best bet is to train for YOU! If you like how you look and how you trained for your show, then so be it and let the placings fall where they may. After prejudging I knew I hadn't placed well and began feeling disappointed and questioning myself and why I continue to put myself through this haha. And because we all train to excel and do well... I allowed myself to be disappointed and "sulk" for about a good 20 minutes. After that, I got my groove back and remembered how lucky I was to be a pro and be amongst good people.

This was my first pro bikini show my husband ever saw me compete in. Last year he was in Iraq and missed  everything I did that year. Not to mention it was great to reconnect with old friends whom I only get to see a few times a year at these shows and connect with new ones. We kind of share a "sisterhood" because so few of us do what we do. At the end of the show, I recieved some really constructive feedback. Yes, there was actually HOPE and yes there was actually something I could do to improve! I will never have "legs for days" nor will I ever be the "american girl next door"...because I have a flava of my own.

There was one feedback in particular that I had recieved that really stuck out to me because I had never had it mentioned to me before or even thought of it myself. I was told how striking I was in person, but for some reason on stage and it wasn't translating that way. They mentioned how I didn't even look like same person on stage and for that reason I became just another body, another number. Hmm...something to think about. Looks like I better rethink those colored contacts, clip in extentions, and heavy makeup!

I would like to think my wonderful husband (who cooked so many of my meals and has been my biggest supporter and sponsor) my awesome family and sisters (who always remind me to be humble and persistent, oh and that I ROCK), my nutritionist Layne Norton for making this experience knowledgable and pleasant, and Joyce VanSeters for Fitness Professionals for representing me in the best possible light. And for anyone else who has supported me in my journey thus far. I have learned so much from all of you.

xoxo
Safiya

Oily face....not so cool!

 
What I am about to share with you is absolutely life changing. It's almost as good as finding the cure for cancer.... well, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit but damn it this stuff works! If you are like me and 80% of most women, we all have problems with our oily "T-zone". Yep, it's the one part of our face that always seems to give way to oil. A long time ago, I was told to invest in a good primer. Smashbox sells their top of the line primer for $42. It comes in a .93 fl oz bottle and other high end brands go for about $25 and up for maybe a fl oz bottle. SAY WHAT! THAT'S JUST WRONG!!!

I stumbled upon this discovery by accident. I was actually researching some good foundations for oily skin and saw people raving online about these two products: Phillips Milk of Magnesia and Monistats Chafing Gel. Then I realized the primer we use is just as important as the foundation we use. This process involves 3 very simple steps: 1. moisturize your face, 2. apply a thin layer of Phillips Milk of Magnesia all of your oily areas and 3. apply Monistats Chafing gel over the milk of magnesia. After that...apply the rest of your makeup like normal. I picked up both of these products from Wal-mart under $10 total. What it basically comes down to is that Monistats Chafing Gel has practically the same exact ingredients as most top of the line primers with the exception of a few binding agents.

Well after careful review, this stuff works. I first experimented with this product traveling through the airports (for some reason when I fly...my skin doesn't like it. I get really oily and feel yucky.) At the end of the day, my skin was oil free and I didn't even wear powder! My sister really put it to the test under stage lights and I am happy to say...her face and foundation stayed matte perfect all day long! No shine or greasy look us girls can get when wearing foundation all day and moving around. I know it sounds weird putting Va Jay-jay cream all over your face, but ladies...get over it. I will pay $4 bucks any day for a big tube of primer that works! You have to wonder though...who was the first person to think of this? What made them put Phillips Milk of Magnesia and Va Jay-jay cream on their face, lol. I don't know...but whoever it was, THANK YOU!

Here is a very informative youtube video that I feel does a great job in explaining the breakdown of all of this. You will thank me later, lol. Enjoy

I LOVE EBAY! Products worth checking out...

I just wanted to take a moment to rave about some of my favorite products I have purchased on ebay. Yes, if you didn't know already...I am an ebay whore and proud of it! I have taken an interest in researching products that equate to great buys. So here we go...

This 120 eyeshadow palette is BAD ASS. You can find this on ebay ranging from $15-20 and believe me, its $15 well spent! The colors are very pigmented and are made up so matte and satin shadows. This palette has every color imaginable (probably  more than you will need). I have even seen make-up artists using this same palette. Its great, compact, and even versatile. Remember, you CAN use eyeshadows as blushes. They are practically made up of the same ingrediants. Some of the reds, pinks, and orange double up as great blushes. BEWARE, you will see the exact same product advertised on ebay as a MAC product with its logo for $70. This is false, MAC has never came out with a 120 eyeshadow palette. It is the exact same palette that I got for $15.

I love love love these brushes. These are a girl's best friend. It's a 16 pc brush set made of pony and goat hair. Listen ladies...brushes don't come softer than these. They dont shed, they pick up the product, and it even comes with a cute purple roll up case. I use this brush set everyday and bring them on the road, especially to my shows and events. You can find this on ebay for about $15. Its a great starter set if you cant afford to shell out hundreds of dollars for the whole Mac collection.






LASHES anyone? Well get your butts to ebay and start ordering them in BULK! Yes, I said BULK. We all know those drugstore lashes can run from $3-7 a pair. That might be ok for you if wear them once in a blue moon or maybe for the occasional night out. I don't wear them everyday (like the housewives of Atlanta) but I do wear them often for shows, photo shoots, and special events. Its always nice to have a stash of lashes ready to go at a whims notice. Ebays sells wonderful great lashes in bulk from china for DIRT CHEAP!

Holly Madison asked to lose weight for "Peep Show"

I am going to keep this short and sweet. I wanted to express a few opinions on this subject matter and lay my thoughts to rest. Last week I watched an episode of "Holly's World". I love everything reality TV, so if its on tv, I will watch it. It gives me a break from my reality! On this particular episode she was asked by the producers of "Peepshow" to lose 5 lbs. They simply suggested that she could tone up a little and that she wasn't looking like "herself" on the posters. Holly to no surprise was quite unhappy about it and seemed very whiny about the whole ordeal.  I mean, is it really that big of a deal? If you are the star of your very own Vegas show shouldn't there be some expectations to uphold on appearance...especially if its a striptease type of show?

When they asked her to "tone up" for the show, she condescendingly responds "you want me to look like a boy." WTF!!! Since when has being "toned" translated to being a boy?? No Holly...they don't want to you to look a boy, they just want you to lay off the chicken fingers and get your ass in shape so that when you take your clothes off every night on stage people aren't wondering "what happened to Holly?"

In an interview she stated, "I always thought I looked fine. It was a shock to me when they told me to lose weight. I just feel like I market myself as a sex symbol, I don't market myself as a fitness model or a professional dancer so I feel like the way I look is fine!" Well Holly, if you were a regular normal person, this would be fine...but you are the star of a striptease show....so get to workin! Basically this translates to "Laziness" in my book. Holly, now at 32 is now seeing the effects of a slowing metabolism and what lack of diet and exercise can do to one's physique. I take it she's been thin all her life with little to no effort and now she can no longer get away with it.

Please let me clarify that I am not knocking Holly for not being a size 2. What I dislike is her inability to take constructive criticism and this attitude of feeling like she shouldn't have to work on anything. WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING TO WORK ON OR IMPROVE.  Holly is what we call "Skinny-fat" in my industry. She is by no means "fat", but she isn't toned either. Holly is a cute girl, curvy...maybe but that isn't an excuse. If she wants to last in show business, she better learn to grow some thick skin.

Peanut Butter Banana Protein Cookies...diet friendly!

Who doesn't love cookies? Better yet, who doesn't love cookies that are "figure friendly? As I train for my 5th upcoming Pro Bikini show, I am about 6 weeks out and keeping it tight is what its all about! So...desperate times call for desperate measures. I was really delighted at how great these cookies came out. They were soft and chewy and stayed very moist into the next day. I looked up a recipe online and tweeked it to fit my dietary needs. So, in the spirit of sharing...here you go. These cookies take no time to make and can be a good replacement for your typical protein bar. I don't eat these everyday and sometimes I will split up a serving in half. These are great for the woman on the go....

All you need are a few key ingrediants:
Gaspari Myofusion Banana Protein- 1 serving
PB2 (powdered peanut butter)- 1 serving
Unsweetened AppleSauce- 1/4 cup
Whole Wheat Flour- 1/4 cup OR Oats (1 cup)
1 egg white
Splenda (optional)- 1 tbsp
Vanilla Extract- 1 tsp
BAKE AT 350, 8-10 MINUTES

NUTRITIONAL FACTS: 1 serving (one batch makes 9 cookies)
Calories: 327
Fat: 5g
Carbohydrates: 39g
Fiber: 6.5g
Protein: 34g

BLUSHES, BLUSHES, BLUSHES

Okay, so my current addiction right now are blushes. I dont why...but every year I become infatuated with certain products. Last year it was lipglosses and I promised myself I wouldnt buy anymore. This year, its BLUSHES. Every girl needs a good blush...even black women! If you dont wear blush...you are missing out! Blushes accentuate your cheeks and help add a touch of warmth to your face. If you love blushes as much as I do, you may be familiar with the NARS collection and of course MAC. Well...a Nars blush is going to run you about $25 a pop and for Mac $20 a blush. I dont know about you, but thats a pretty penny and can get quite expensive if you want more than one blush to add to your collection.

These are just a few of my inexpensive blushes that I have collected over some time and are WOC friendly!! (WOMEN OF COLOR) The color payoff of these blushes are great and really pop. Most of these blushes only need to be applied with a light hand and will last for a long long time. I am in love with NYX cream blushes. They have shades for all skin tones. They are not greasy and feel very light on the skin. They even last through a good sweat at the gym! Yes, I wear blush at the gym, haha. I had to order these online because I couldnt find them anywhere in the stores. I got mine cheap from ebay. I LOVE EBAY!

Black Radiance blushes (the ones that I have) have been discontinued. They replaced them with the "Baked Artisan " collection. Not too thrilled about it, but its an okay product. You can still however find some of their  discontinued blushes floating around on ebay. These blushes were dirt cheap and had incredible color.

The Tropez collection can be found at K-mart. I had never really heard of them before but I accidently stumbled upon them and decided to purchase two. "Dusty Muave" is a beautiful light everyday color. The "Tahitian Gold" is a bright red blush. Very very pigmented, must use a light hand with this one...even on dark skin.

Whats on your Bucket List?

Okay, since its the New Year (or at least it was), I have been hearing a lot about these bucket lists and vision boards. At first, I wasn't quite sure what it was. I have never really been the kind of person to make New Year's resolutions let alone come up with a list of 100 things I want to do before I die.  I  constantly set goals for myself year around and have never thought of using vision boards as a source of inspiration. My tactic has always been to set goals but not time lines (unless I'm training for a show). I believe time lines often let you down and are irrelevant as long as you are progressing in the right direction. Plus, if you share the same faith as I, you will soon learn that in time, God will give you what you need when HE feels you need it.

This brings me back to the age old question, "where do you see yourself in 10 years?" I hate it when people ask this. Truth is...I DON'T KNOW AND ITS OK. That is such a loaded question and well and quite frankly nobody knows where they going be in 10 years. At the age of 25, I find myself pondering what's next? Its like my own personal clock just started ticking and I am now aware of it. With this, brings a bit of anxiety and the urge to DO SOMETHING.

So my goal this year, my vision board if you will is to launch "PROJECT: ME". Trust me, its not a vanity thing, but I believe its something we could all benefit from. Putting alittle more effort into promoting one's self in their career, spiritual growth, and personal life. There has been a lot of things that I have put on the back burner because I had convinced myself that it wasn't the right time to pursue certain things. Now having said that, if I died tomorrow, I know I would be kicking myself for not taking the risk and the opportunity to really live....not just exist, but really live!

So...I'm starting my bucket list and its as random as "a box of chocolates"
1. Have children
2. Travel to Europe
3. Move out of South Carolina
4. Learn Spanish
5. Launch my website
6. Own my own salon or business....
7. Learn how to swim
8. Qualify for the Olympia :)
9. Take a latin dance class...Samba

Well, that's a start.