Competing is both mentally draining and physically draining not only the week of but the week after as well. I wanted to share some of what I experianced and break it out in the time frames for those who may someday down the road compete and can read this and not feel so alone...or just help you know what to expect.
Two weeks before the show...
I had alot going on in my personal life leading up to my show so I was a busy girl!!! I am a full time employee, part time night student that right there sounds like a lot but I am used to it now as I have been balancing it for 5 years. That is the awesome thing about competing because you meet so many "normal" people that learn how to balance such busy and demanding lives along with training and preparing meals.
For me personally I found myself with a shorter fuse and VERY tired. I often napped in my car on lunch breaks and in the moment never "heard" my short fuse responses but soon after realized and immediately apologized. My boyfriend recieved the brunt of the blows but I didn't use dieting as an excuse to make it okay, it's not. Being rude or short tempered isn't me and I don't like making others suffer because of my choice to compete. Remember this when you find yourself close to show and be aware of it. I kept being told it was just going to happen but there HAS to be accountability on your end to know that it's not okay or an excuse.
The Week of the show...
Yikes, I basically had a breakdown here. I am a multi-tasker at heart and never get overwhelmed. That week I just had way to much going on for my brain to process as every time I thought I had a "plan" it would some how take a slightly different path. I had a hard time wrapping my thoughts around how to execute simple tasks that would normally be easy and mindless things to do. Combined all of these things just caused a massive and epic brain fart for lack of better words! My grandmother and boyfriend gently pealed me off of the floor and reminded me of all that I had accomplished thus far and put my situation into perspective for me...things could be alot worse basically. By the way, they were right....I ended up making an A on a paper that was due that week and made a B on a very hard test that week as well. So with half a brain cell I still somehow managed to work well under pressure. I wanted to share this with you so that if you find yourself overwhelmed....look back on your progress and where you were and then where you currently are. Also, gather those around you that you can lean on to help you get up and move forward....YOU CAN DO IT!!
Show Day...
Best way to describe this day to compare it to a dream. It's like your there but you're not. Your body is just getting by....at your show you're waiting most of the day on your turn to show what you've worked so hard for the past 12+ weeks. Truthfully, I enjoyed the whole day and seeing all my family and friends that came out. I got to meet several fitness peeps from Houston that I follow on Facebook and was just thrilled to feel like I was supposed to be there.
I feel like my attitude was spot on for the whole experience I have had. Two years ago I went to Vegas with a bunch of girlfriends and we went to a very exclusive pool party at one of the hotels. This day and like most pool days I kept my wrap on the whole day...I sweat ed my butt off and felt insecure all day. I used to find ways to either stay in the pool all day, grab a towel to throw around me or kept a wrap on while around water. Below is a picture from that day I am referring to.
The point I am trying to make is that 2 years ago I couldn't be at a pool with 200+ people with out a cover up on and on show day I stood in a dressing room with so many beautiful competitors and felt proud to be there in my suit with them....that's what this was all about for me, loving myself completely. Taking the time to focus on me for a bit and learning to love myself inside completely. The outside will come and go, looks, clothes and the material things but to have been able to listen to my body and learn as much as I have along the way has made this whole journey more than I could have ever asked for.
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| Vegas--2009 |
Post Show...Well hello FOOD!!!!
Honestly the past week and a half has been really hard on me. I see my nutritionist next week to kind of evaluate where I am at body % wise and how to proceed from here. The thing about post show is that now you can tell yourself YES....watch out for the little Yes gremlin, she's a little monster!!! I indulged the week after mainly in the evenings...I didn't miss meals but did not drink as much water as I should have. I am having a really hard time with food and just getting back to the gym fully this week...my mind just isn't there. I have done alot of my eating in moderation for the most part but my brain and body are just tired of the routine I was in. I know Kim and the other wonderful women competitors I am friends with will be able to help me better understand how to proceed, my advice for now is to just take it slowly and ease back into it. This was the great advice my boyfriend gave me and so I am just trying to do that right now until I see Kim and go on from here.
Future Goals...
I plan on continuing my blog and help ya'll with the mental issues I just referred to and how I worked through them and the advice I received. I plan on updating pictures post show and giving you realistic images of what to expect from your body. Meanwhile, I do plan on competing again!!! I will be working on building more muscle mass and understanding my work outs more fully! I am so excited to keep you posted!!!
Also most of you know my boyfriend Michael-David...we'll he's blogging now his 1 year journey to compete in bodybuilding so check him out for all you guys out there!!! http://idecideiam.blogspot.com/
