Linda Cusmano 2009 Off/Pre and ON Season

**Italianangel** · May 17th, 2009, 12:00 PM

not a rum fan but this sounds nice

ceasar · May 17th, 2009, 12:33 PM

Hey Linda you're cute with short hair. How's spring shaping out?

**vanessa40** · May 18th, 2009, 09:41 AM

Hi Linda..
Girl i love your hair. It looks so good on you. Happy belated anniversary. Did you have a nice meal. I don't share either...lol
Looks like your training is going great..
I love your journal..it's so motivating...

**Italianangel** · May 18th, 2009, 12:59 PM

I think it will be effective for my purpose but I definatley miss my long hair and will be growing it but no rush, I am having fun with it now and as it grows out.
its much longer now than in March.
Dinner was good, there was barely any dressing so the salad was actually super healthy and could have been on my menu, a but more spinach than I would have had but that does not dent the diet really. I took a few sips of the peach drink, about 1/4 cup of it and passed it along to my dh, I ordered a ceasar, so, not a huge cheat there either, then desert - I only had half so that all worked out well.
Back on track again today and am finding the egg whites from the carton are fine as long as I eat or drink with it, so I have tons of tea and it does not hurt to digest, when I eat it alone I did get a bit of discomfort.
So the bad thing..........did not train yesterday...........I was bagged and I was just lazy as all lazy can be, I napped and watched tv and sat outside a bit and just lazed............
Today I am off since its Victoria day but I will definitely be training! Have to sweat to get lean, have to keep on.

**Italianangel** · May 18th, 2009, 01:01 PM

I need a ticker.........

**Italianangel** · May 18th, 2009, 01:06 PM

ceasar · May 18th, 2009, 02:17 PM

Linda take your time making the BC championships. Take it easy everyonce in a while. Like go to a movie,stroll around the mall or sail on a boat out in the bay. Just some crazy ideas

**lizzyb** · May 19th, 2009, 09:53 AM

Way to be moderate.......I dunno if I would've been able to only eat HALF of that cake (but then again I am a cake whore, lol!)

Love, love, love the new avi.....look at those pipes girl!!!

**Italianangel** · May 23rd, 2009, 02:58 AM

So I think I have actually been eating a bit more fish, like 4-6 oz and the chicken too, but not eating the last meal.
also ate 2-3 apples the past 2 days with pb or nuts.......otherwise been on the ball.
1 hour cardio each day so far except one day but then I did 2 hours yesterday morning to make up for it and did weights each day too except Thursday.
I took today off. My recovery has been amazing, fast....
Choreography began Tuesday, feels good!
I took a few pics......but put on some sunglasses first or you will be blinded by my whiteness!
I don't know how I feel about how I look to be honest, my legs are not clean enough and my bottom end looks so wide, I know I lean fast but still, I want to look tighter right now so I am working my ass off and its slowly coming down.
These shots were taken yesterday and are in a suit which is wrong....bad bottoms etc but whatever, its a start.

**tooncesthecat** · May 23rd, 2009, 08:23 AM

Looking good Angel!

**A1food4U** · May 23rd, 2009, 10:42 AM

It's so awesome hearing that your pre-contest pain free. Your looking very good, you are always so hard on yourself, admittedly this gives you an edge but relax just a bit and realize how long the road you've traveled has been.

**Italianangel** · May 24th, 2009, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A1food4U

It's so awesome hearing that your pre-contest pain free. Your looking very good, you are always so hard on yourself, admittedly this gives you an edge but relax just a bit and realize how long the road you've traveled has been.

wow, thanks, that is very nice!
NOT pain free......but much less time in pain and much less intense pain.....I WILL TAKE IT - not complaining......!!!!
My good friend Mariam, the powerlifter who I probably mentioned on this site a million times, she thinks I look good at this stage, fuller, she is very happy with my legs as am I and she has had her eye on my competitors and she feels I am looking very good comparatively. That helps my mentality A LOT!!

I had a small cheat for dinner, it was a burrito bowl, so very overcooked lean beef, rice, cooked and raw onions, black beans, cilantro, lime, tomato salsa, mild salsa hot sauce stuff, tomatilla sauce I think and then the bad stuff, a good couple tbs of shredded jack, guac, watered down sour cream and about a 1/2 cup corn! So the last few items were the cheat really and this made me 2 meals, dinner and last meal of which lately I have not been having, I have been mainly eating 5 meals per day. Training is consistent, I am trying to make sure I rest once every 3-5 days or so........taking that day off. A bit anxious about wanting to see muscle cuz the scale sits at 127 yet I am leaning slowly, I am prob leaner a tad from the pics I took a few days ago as I burn about a 1/4 of lb per day. I really want to see a difference in my lean body this time, less lanky and much fuller, filled in symmetry too, not just fuller muscle. Will be hitting all muscle groups twice per week now but with focus on lats, delts and ass and the rest I can just back off by a hair...making the 6 day split easier to tolerate.
Will be doing 3x10/15 this week, hi low in the same week, so 3x15 on hi, 3x10 on lo, repeating the exercises and muscle groups twice just adjusting reps and weight and doing 3 exercises per muscle group with 3 muscle groups per day, so 9 exercises but the third muscle group is an easy one like abs or butt and I will be tri and super setting.
Will stick with an hour cardio per day 6 days per week but the intensity varies, I don't want to look lanky so I go mellow with some intense moments through the hour or cardio where I will go harder or up intensity.......then back off and mellow again. I would say a quarter or third of my hour is intense and the rest moderate - for cardio that is.

Umm, I think that is it but on personal note been playing with my pastels, black paper and my watercolors too, the pencils and paints..........oh and I was so happy to finally watch matt serra and matt hughes fight last night, although they were not the main event, they were for me. I feel though, matt serra won it first round but matt hughes being such a great fighter with so much experience that when these guys get knocked out they are out and still swing, try to stand up and hang on to the opponents so this way the ref does not stop the fight..............good going, great fight, was hoping serra would win but I like both guys! Rashad was finally humbled too............great fighter, one of the poorest tudes in the biz! the guy who beat him, mashida, very nice guy, worked his whole life on karate and this is just a step to his goal which is to be a master, his goal won't be attained until he is very old. Amazing 2 cards, the rest were a bit boring, sherk faught and a few others but boring.....the guys are getting to be too well matched so if you don't come in with some new, different, or old ancient stuff or even just unorthodox stuff, the fights are stagnant.

Guess thats it, the rest is same old, dogs, dh, work etc. And I like simple n boring after the few years I have had!

Linda

**Italianangel** · May 25th, 2009, 12:43 PM

**Italianangel** · May 25th, 2009, 12:44 PM

I measured in at 18%bf, not bad, not great, not bad…….I am happy to look and feel solid, usually as I lean I get the whole ‘going small’ feeling although I do have a few more weeks to go right??? 8 weeks I think? I was aiming at Aug so at 12 weeks out I thought I was 16 weeks out and then was reminded I had to do the July show first……..so that is why I am focused on leaning a bit more than I would have been if it was just August.
Got training all in and cardio but….yesterday I only did 25 mins on the bike and I ended up eating more egg whites and 2 slices of whole grain…………ouch…..not good, egg is okay but the bread is not. I had 2 more slices today with egg but I missed my grains for dinner and am missing my grains today fir lunch - not the best swap but better than nothing.

I got my charcoals out and sketch pad and did some sketches yesterday some pencil too, planning out some paintings and future art ideas. Been getting back in touch and it came back fast……helps me relax, otherwise I am just always hoppin’……hahaha, kinda like that girl who joined shortly here…..fithoppy!

Linda

**lizzyb** · May 25th, 2009, 07:27 PM

Hi Linda! Those are great pics.......and I like your suit too, you look amazing girl!!! Actually even before I got to your post about your friend Miriam's comment, I was already thinking that you look fuller than last year too.....WTG!!

As for the simple and boring life.......don't knock it!! Finding one's inner peace is a gift to behold and keeps us steady even through the rough patches.

**Italianangel** · May 25th, 2009, 11:56 PM

haha, actually i have worked hard to mold my life to be as it is now......all the things I wanted to do I have done, all the other end of the spectrum, parties, out all night I did very early, I started to club at 14 and was doing the afterhours bars too and on school days.....so I did it all before my time and so I am now living retired couples life a bit early.............we got tired of social stuff, it all became hassles dealing with others, even very cool friends etc, love them but we like our pattern, it works and melds...........once you have to revolve around others its not the same, we have given up so much over the years and revolved around others alot so that would explain why we are as we are now. I just rather be alone with my dogs or hubby...........we have definatley become very anti social but not in a negative way or anything, just suits us best right now for our lifestyle, makes us happy, closer to that peace thing I never knew was a goal but am finding out is, as the years go by. We never had a very close family, when my dad was alive he always pulled the families together, he loved being super social and grew up with many siblings, unlike me.....and I went right along and enjoyed all that too as a kid.........but then when he passed, his side stopped talking to my mom so I never heard from them unless i bumped into them.....anyway, one uncle did keep on me though, my dads youngest, my moms family is in Portugal and she does not seem to want to be close to them, I mean they talk but make no effort to call or talk or whatever, minimal I think and I think its cuz of her poor tude........but anyway, I have not had that kinda of life where I was always super close to all the families although I have a million cousins etc........so since my dad died and my mom became full blown in her mixing thing of prescrips and booze binges and how that affects us and not wanting to have people over cuz of her we became very hermitized or whatever but with all that drama it made me appreciate the peace and quiet of being home, my huge yard/secret garden, my dogs etc.....living in a room all these years and now being in a suite with a bathroom and kitchen of my own is all making me appreciate......when I was young I wanted only to be out all the time but I think cuz of my mom, and then another way wanted to be home incase my mom and dad were fighting, it got violent and bad sometimes and I guess I felt if I was there I could prevent stuff, although I know better now and it was all my mom anyway...........my dad died at 58 - gee I wonder why- its amazing her crap has not killed me by now too...............everyone says she will survive us all, the miserable ones never seem to go! Maybe God just does not want her and neither does the Devil!!!
Linda

**6-Pak Girl** · May 27th, 2009, 12:43 AM

OMG, Linda. I SO know what you mean. I think that sometimes when we've gone through tough family times we crave familial peace and that can only be found by staying close to one another (hubby and wife) and becoming insulated against all the crap that goes on around you. At least that's what my hubby and I tend to do. We still have our friends and, yes, we still have family functions/get togethers we go to, but it's on a limited scale. We fiercely protect/guard our time together.

**lizzyb** · May 27th, 2009, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6-Pak Girl

OMG, Linda. I SO know what you mean. I think that sometimes when we've gone through tough family times we crave familial peace and that can only be found by staying close to one another (hubby and wife) and becoming insulated against all the crap that goes on around you. At least that's what my hubby and I tend to do. We still have our friends and, yes, we still have family functions/get togethers we go to, but it's on a limited scale. We fiercely protect/guard our time together.

We are the same way as well....both my hubby and I put our time together with or without the kids first.....We also feel most at peace under our own roof and decide very cautiously how/when we will spend our time with others.

**Italianangel** · May 29th, 2009, 12:09 PM

Okay so yesterday we went over the skeletal of the routine, about 80% and then we had to leave as a class was coming in to use the room.
He is so good at this. I mean a full package. Great energy - not just energy like literally but also in the spiritual sense.

Like I do with my clients, he took EVERY thing I told him, all my parameters, needs, goals and he did exactly what I needed and wanted in order to get this routine fast and still look as if I had put in months of effort! Now that is a magician! I am so rejuvenated.

This kid has an amazing resume, his name is Kyle Toy and if you google him he will amaze you with is resume and he is sooooo young!

So we click, it works and its nice to have another person on my support network.
I have 4 or 5 clients/gym folks who mentioned they wanted to come and watch, cheer me on!

Training goes well, cardio goes well, leaning nicely, scale stuck at 127 and I don't care cuz I look thick! YEEHAAAAW!
Today I am only going to do cardio, maybe go for an hour rollerblade around Stanley Park, my shoulder is a bit sore from training then the choreography with pushups overuse, handstand overuse and other hand tricks n holds. My glute is a bit sore too, coming from the back of course....so cardio is best, no weight bearing.

The PVL products Ripped Freak and Cutter have kicked in within days! Cutter is a bit lighter if you want to keep it lighter and ripped is a bit more hardcore giving you a burst of surging energy! I take smaller doses being a smaller body.

I am looking forward to testing some new flavored glutamine that PVL has coming out as well!

Thanks to the PVL BCAAs I took in the last few months, again smaller doses, I do see I am thicker as I lean down!!! I have a few clients on a few of these too since they were impressed with my fast show of results and they got the same response bodywise which rocked.

Flying High!

**Italianangel** · June 1st, 2009, 11:39 AM

Darn it, missed cardio Wed, Fri, Sat and Sun! I mean I was not sitting on my ass but still.............and I think I am okay but you know how that plays with your head.....July 25 will be here soon!!
Did weights Wed, Thurs just routine work then weights again last night, but not as heavy as i should maybe, using bands at home, even so I have the bodylastics set with the blue band which is 15-18.lbs then i can add more bands to make it heavier I was not in the heavy mode but did not want to miss the workout neither so......and my arms look great when i train, relaxed they are still not all pokey and curvy but getting the tone back......I am at 127, then 129, and not sure this morning of weight or bf......will check this week with some pics. I know I look leaner, that I know for a fact and my saddles are smaller, the skin is more custard vs cottage cheese in the leg area....which the camera won't pick up too much but whatever.......I spent a lot of time mentally memorizing the routine to the music too.
Did some art this weekend. I have been debating if I should post my art up at all, kinda embarrased since it has been so long and I am just getting back into things, I am going to get back into my poetry too.......maybe one day I will be gutsy to post the stuff...............how about I post a pastel orchid study I did, I used a walter foster book to help me....I have a few art books I am using for the study parts but some of my stuff is original too..........

I was at a clients house for a early dinner gathering with my acu/yogi and another lady who is into wellness massage etc who I have not been to but my client as and was refered by our acu so anyway, this lady has pets! Normally I would have prob politely declined......I really like time to myself and rarely do stuff with people anymore and when I do its only a few times per year and you have to bend my arm......like a few months ago when a client took, me and another gym guy to a canucks game........but anyway.......
this lady has 2 wonderful dogs, 2 cats, and a horse! So we are all chillin in her back yard which sits on a river and this is in NORTH Van which is still pretty cityish, there used to be less houses and more land there years ago, many, but now its all filled in like most areas.......they still get bears and cougars and such but its very city still so anyway....the trees in that area are all slowly getting cleared to build on big lots of land but anyway..............
so she has a horse who is about 20 named casablanca.....I call him casanova, he is a big drassage horse and her dogs are also older.........so anyway.....here we site in her backyard on some glorious furniture on the river, trees, grass, and a big beautiful horse walking around doing the lawn.............it was amazing.
No offense to the ladies, I love them dearly but that was the clincher for me, the horse and pets!!! And so much reviving energy.
Before this, i was at home sitting on my back porch and we hear an eagle cry, I look up, and there are 2 flying around directly overhead!!!!!!! in looking at them I see this rainbow.......on a clear sunny day, no rain the past few days and none to come, yet a rainbow, and it was AROUND the sun......never seen this before it was amazing........I see nature things like this as signs of positivity, good signs for fortune and luck and peace.
so today I was just bagged, cancelled my my one and only appt and am sitting here relaxing like a bum! had my egg, posted a questions btw in the foods area of the main forum.......and here I sit. Anyone wanna go out and play????
OKay so here is my pastel orchid done on black paper.

Please do keep in mind my art has been put away since teen hood.....I just started back last year and have been slowly re introducing myself to the mediums, some I have never used and I have no formal art education at all........okay now that my excuses are out of the way you can look at my stuff.....hahahahah.
Linda