First Video Blog on How to Make the Perfect Protein Shake

Check out my first video blog on how to make the perfect protein shake
I had so much fun filming this video.  Thank you to my crew Jordan Hibbs and Rob Hill. I learned so much from doing this video, and I can't wait to take what I learned and do many more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqvAUbqzT5E 

Big thank you to my sponsor Nutrishop Paradise Valley

Hope you enjoyed the video. Be sure to hit that subscribe button for more health tips and recipes

XoXo- Bella Hibbs

3 Easy Health Tips to Get You Started

I am happy to announce that I am officially a Nutrishop Sponsored Athlete! You are only as good as the company you keep, and I love the Nutrishop's products. Everything from their cookies and cream protein shakes, to their great pre-workouts. This will be such an amazing opportunity to join the Nutrishop Paradise Valley family! I started my fitness journey just 8 months ago and I am loving where it is taking me. In celebration of becoming a sponsored athlete here are 3 easy tips that anyone can use to get started in their own fitness journey.

Tip 1- Never Miss Your Monday Workout. Many people don't look forward to Monday's or dread the beginning of a new week. Lets change that attitude around and think of Monday's as a chance to start over, a chance to start the week off on the right foot. I personally love doing leg day on Mondays. With legs being the biggest muscle group of your body I feel if you work them out hard at the beginning of the week, it sets the tone for the rest of your week.

Tip 2- Drink lots of Water. Staying hydrated is very important to weight loss. Not only does your body need to stay hydrated but by drinking lots of water this will help you eat less and keep you full in between meals. I drink at least 1 gallon of water a day no matter what, and on good days i'll drink 2 gallons. Living in Arizona drinking lots of water has become an easy task.

Tip 3- Start with Small Changes. Starting a new lifestyle can be very overwhelming at first. Try starting out by changing a few small things in your diet and work your way up. Try cutting out soda from your diet and once that become easy try increasing your protein. By making these small changes over a period of time it will make creating a new lifestyle not so overwhelming.

I am still early on in my fitness journey but excited to be a sponsored athlete! Thank you to Nutrishop Paradise Valley for believing in me!

Get the look: Pink Tank Top: Kohls, Workout Jacket- Lululemon, Workout Pants- Lulelmon, White Tank Top - Nutrishop

XoXo- Bella Hibbs

Lost in the Right Direction

Great things have been happening, a lot of it being unexpected opportunities. My life right now is going in so many directions that I'm not sure which one I should follow. I tend think best when I'm out in nature, Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument in New Mexico was the perfect spot to relax and reflect.  I never knew I would find a passion in the fitness industry, in blogging or even casting but here I am doing all those things. I'm not sure whats next or where I'm "suppose" to go but I'm happy where I am and what I'm doing. 

Here are a few fun and easy workouts you can do while hiking. Also thank you to Nutrishop Paradise Valley for this cute lightweight tank top.  Have a great Fourth of July weekend and stay safe. 

XoXo- Bella Hibbs 

Experiencing Zen

Recently I read an article "5 Things Happy People Do". Most of it was pretty common stuff; eat healthy, exercise, laugh more, communicate your feelings and to forgive others. The last one really struck me because, there was a situation that happened a while ago but I still can't forgive this person. Without having to go into too many details I never got closure from the predicament. I never got to express to this person how mad I was or find out the truth about the situation. I went to bed thinking about this situation/person and in my dream I got to confront them. In the dream I told them everything I had been feeling and I finally got it off my chest. Granted it was dream so it is a little different, but when I awoke I had this strange feeling of being a little more at peace. I don't want to hold on to the past,  nor onto things I cannot change or waste my energy on someone who isn't in my life.  I choose to forgive this person and move on. 

This blog post is about making peace and forgiving others. We all have a greater purpose in life and to hold onto so much anger does no one any good. 

XoXo - Bella Hibbs

The Good, The Bad and The Awesome parts of Competing

I have officially competed in my first bikini competition. This blog is here to reflect on this amazing 12 week journey! 

The Good 

Besides this marvelous BODY, I am overall the healthiest I have ever been. Throughout meal prepping I found that I had more energy. I personally loved meal prepping, I like knowing when and what I got to eat. I was fueling my body with the proper nutrition. Besides loosing weight and body fat I noticed that my hair looked and felt healthier. Finally the overall confidence I gained is invaluable. I felt more comfortable in my own body, I mean you have to, you are in a tiny bikini on stage in front of everyone! 

The Bad 

The hardest part was the last 10 days leading up to the competition. This is when most will cut carbs. Then four days out you start to cut your water. As most of you know I LOVE my carbs so I only lasted three days before I put back my morning protein pancakes. I still felt exhausted all the time, during my workouts I couldn't push myself and I did the bare minimum throughout the day so I didn't waist any energy.  Then once I started water depleting it made it even harder. I kept thinking I was hungry but really I was just thirsty. I understand why athletes will cut their water but I had no idea it was so hard. I had really underestimated this portion of the process. The last 7 to 10 days are all mental. You are so close yet the last stretch was the hardest. 

The best part was getting on stage! You have your hair all done up and make up looks amazing. After 12 weeks of meal prep and late night training sessions, it's all worth it when you step up on that stage. 

I got on stage and just had fun, I felt amazing in my bikini! Thank you to Lesia Crawford and Bilbo Baggs for this beautiful suit. I knew the moment I stepped on that stage that my life would change. I knew I wouldn't be the same person win or loose. Honestly there is no "loosing" in this competition, EVERYONE is a winner. We are all wearing our trophy's.  When I walked on stage I told myself lots of smiles, sass and ass!

Below are my before and after photos. I am still a little nervous posting this but I think its a great transformation! 12 weeks of hard work and detection. I loved competing,  even with all the good and bad parts I still LOVED IT. So much that I will be competing again in July :) Now that I know a little bit more about the process I know the changes I need to make so hopefully I can take home a trophy! 

XoXo- Bella Hibbs

5 Tips While Prepping For a Bikini Competition

First off let me start by saying I am not a nutritionist or a trainer. This blog post is based off my own experience and journey through competing for my first bikini competition 

Tip 1- Things Take Time 

The picture above took 12 weeks of hard work and dedication. Unfortunately when I posted this I got a ton of emails, text, and messages asking me what the "secret" was and there just isn't one. Trust me I wish there was but I worked out a lot but more importantly I fueled my body with the right nutrition. If you stay on your nutrition plan and stay active, in time you will see major changes, just not over night. 

Tip 2 - Take an Active Part in Your New Lifestyle

You can hire a nutritionist and a trainer who tells you what to eat, how much and when, but you have to be an active participant in the process. If you are feeling dizzy or light headed or not digesting food well you have to take part and try new things. When I first started I was getting awful headaches. I thought it was my body going through a detox but it keep happening for close to 3 weeks. This process shouldn't be physically painful. I started drinking more water and stopped taking a pre-workouts. I listened to my body and changed my routine till I left better. At first it was trial and error but LISTEN to your body.

Tip 3-  Find Activities Other Than Eating

A big struggle throughout this journey was finding activities  that didn't revolve around food and alcohol! People would want to get dinner, happy hour, or drinks and I was on a restricted diet and it was just not worth the temptation. Try and find other reasons to hang out with people, go for a hike, mini golf or volunteer together. If you think about it there are other activities out there other than eating and drinking, you just have to think a little harder.

Tip 4- Love Your Body

For the first time in my life I feel healthy and not just "skinny". I feel comfortable in my own skin. My body is not perfect and I have learned that it will never be and I'm finally okay with that.  It is great to have a goal to work toward but loving yourself has to be apart of that goal. 

Tip 5- Be Around People Who Are Positive! 

You will get people who don't understand the process and will be negative. People will make comments like "you are not eating enough, you are harming your body and you will get too muscular". Don't LISTEN to them! Stay positive and surround yourself with people who lift you up not bring you down. 

Tomorrow night I will be on stage competing for the first time! I will update with pictures and videos. If you want to come watch the show you can get tickets buy clicking this link :) Friday night is a little cheaper than Saturday but get your tickets before they run out! 

XoXo- Bella Hibbs 

3 Tips To Impress the Casting Director

 

Professionalism is Key!

 Many people forget this is a business. You have to treat acting/modeling as a business or you won't get very far. Learn everything you can about this industry and reading this blog is already a great start! By learning about the market you can find out who is who and make sure you are being seen by the right people. As always have a business card handy to make connections with fellow colleagues. 

 Be Prepared! 

Come to an audition with all your tools. Always have an extra copy of your headshot and resume, you never know when someone will want your calling card. Be memorized, you wouldn't come to set not memorized so don't come to audition without be 100% prepared. Being on time to an audition is a plus but on that note don't come super early. 

  A "Thank You" Goes a Long Way!

Casting Directors/associates work very hard! Especially at Good Faith Casting we hand pick everyone who comes into our castings. We work very hard with each actor to get their best performance on tape. Recently an actor (who we booked in a national campaign) said that she was taught not to give a thank you gift to casting directors. I was shocked! Everyone loves to be thanked for their hard work. Of course, gifts are not required or expected but a nice thank-you is always appreciated. We love helping actor/models succeed in their career.


 Hope these 3 effortless tips launch you into a successful direction in your acting/modeling career. Leave a comment below on how you impress the casting team when you audition :)

XoXo- Bella Hibbs