Jessica Paxson - April 2013

2013 is shaping up to be milestone year for Jessica Paxson. Having landed her first Oxygen cover, not only will she be celebrating her 30th birthday on March 7th (Happy Birthday, Jessica!) and prepping to tie the knot in August, she’ll be toasting to yet another momentous occasion – taking 5th place in the Bikini category at the Arnold Classic. Needless to say, she’s feeling better than ever! “I have never felt more blessed, confident, and happy!” she says. Despite a jam-packed schedule, the birthday girl took some time to sit down with Oxygen and share some of her secrets for success.

Train Like Jessica

One of Jessica’s goals for the year was to be in the best shape of her life for the Arnold Classic and her 30th birthday. We say, mission accomplished!
She weight trains five days a week and throws in a boot camp–style workout once or twice a week. Her typical splits:

Monday: Legs (plyometric moves and circuits)

Tuesday: Chest, triceps and 30 minutes of cardio

Wednesday: Morning – cardio (usually a 40-minute stepper session); Afternoon – yoga

Thursday: Boot camp workout

Friday: Back, biceps and 30 minutes of cardio intervals

Saturday: Shoulders and boot camp workout

Sunday: Rest

Push-Up Love

Jessica loves box jumps and planks, but her favorite move? The classic push-up. “Push-ups will always be a favorite exercise of mine because they are a great overall body exercise,” she says. “You are working your chest, shoulders, arms and core. There are also so many variations you can perform to challenge yourself.”

Fave Foods

Jessica keeps her metabolism revving by eating six small meals a day. If you were to sneak a peek in her fridge, you’d be likely to find lean ground chicken or turkey, eggs, salmon, avocado, almonds, asparagus, spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes, strawberries, blueberries and a pitcher of Crystal Light.

One of her favorites clean meals is zesty talapia. “I love grilling tilapia with lemon or lime juice and Fiesta Lime Mrs. Dash,” she says. “I eat it with half of an avocado made into guacamole (lemon and lime juice, red onion, diced red pepper, sea salt), and salsa. Add jalapeño if you want!”

Although Jessica admits she does struggle with maintaining a clean diet, she’s realized that it’s all about moderation. “If you eat clean year round, you can afford to treat yourself and indulge your cravings from time to time,” she says.

Five Things Jess Can’t Live Without:

1. The Bible
2. My fiancé
3. Family
4. Friends
5. My animals (She has a boxer named Pixie and a cat named Sasha.)

In Her Gym Bag Right Now:

• iPhone
• Headphones
• Lip gloss
• Shaker cup
• A scoop of Optimum Nutrition Platinum Hydrowhey protein