Show day recap

Last weekend was the show I've been preparing for eight months for and I learned a ton throughout this process!  I was surprisingly less nervous than what I expected to be.  Don't get me wrong I was shaky as all get out the first time I got on stage.  I was on a total of four times.  Twice in the morning and twice for the night show.

 The morning started early at 4:30 am to get up and get hair and makeup all done.  We had to bring our own sheets to the hotel because the spray tan can rub off on them.  The first tan is done Friday night and later Saturday morning is the second coat which is bronzer.  I did my own hair and makeup for the show because it was crazy expensive to pay someone to do it.  Basically the more makeup the better for stage makeup.

 The bronzer...as you touch it throughout the day it rubs off as you can see on my hand.  I looked like a car mechanic by the end of the night.

 There is a lot of waiting around.  A lot.  We didn't complete the night show until 1:30 Sunday morning.  Throughout the day I ate chicken, steak and rice cakes.  We even got some jelly beans right before getting on stage.

 Team Nutrishop

 Amber, Megan, myself and Jackie.

 When I first got my suit I thought there was no way I would fit into it for the show.  However, by show day it fit perfectly.  I didn't even have to get mine glued down like most girls do.  Which was nice, because, talk about ripping off a band-aid with a glued on suit!

 Stage shots from the show

I got off stage the first time and it was a total blur.  I had no memory of exactly what I did as far as my posing routine goes.  But I met my goal of getting to the show and completing it even though there were many days I wanted to quit.

It is pretty much an immediate bond when it comes to talking to and meeting other competitors.  Everyone knows that we have put in some hard work and gone to bed thinking of Reese's Eggs.  And cake.  I had cake at 3:30 am Sunday morning!

The post show water weight gain is unreal.  I've enjoyed getting back to a little less restriction this week but the water weight and post show bloat has me ready to get back to my routine.  I even bought chicken at the grocery store this weekend when I had sworn it off completely!

Since the show I've become a Nutrishop sponsored athlete and am motivated to work even harder for the next show.  I am shooting for one in the fall.  The hard work and hunger all was worth it come show day.  I didn't place but I didn't go into it hoping to.  I was in a group of 10-12 amazing women.  I watched a lot of the night show because we had time to.  It started at 5 and we didn't line up again until 12:30 am.  It was fun to watch the other classes like the Bikini Pros and Men's Bodybuilding.  I think it took me all week to catch up on sleep after being up so long and the adrenaline rush wore off.    Today I finally spent hours cleaning my house because I haven't really dedicated the time or energy for it for weeks.

I have two weeks until my cruise with Julie.  I'll be spending the next two weeks focusing on getting rid of the water weight from this past week post show.  When I return from vacation I am going to start focusing on my goals for fall!

7 days until cake!

NPC Midwest is one week from today!  That means I have a challenging but exciting week ahead of me.  I will be cutting carbs lower than ever and cutting water.  But I am so excited to see what the end of the week brings.  Last night I felt huge and bloated and thought no way I can do it.  Today I woke up feeling great.  I felt more confident posing and strong at the gym.  This is definitely a roller coaster like I have never experienced before.  I am not sure why we naturally focus on what we see as our flaws instead of focusing on our strong points.  It is a mental battle to not beat myself up and instead see what others see.  But there are times I manage to I think “wow I really have come a long way.”  I have decided that next Saturday I am proudly rocking what I am working with.  I may not have the perfect stomach but I am going to rock my legs and arms proudly.  I have put countless hours in the gym, on the treadmill, and in the kitchen prepping meals.  This journey has taught me that it isn’t about perfection but consistency.  I haven’t been perfect by any means but I have remained consistent.  So I am going to go into this show just ready to have fun with it and with my teammates.  And I am going to enjoy the hell out of some cake afterwards!

Three weeks to go...countdown is on!

Today marks three weeks out from show day and I am definitely counting down!  This coming week we are doing a practice peak week.  Peak week is done the week before the show and is designed to make your body come in at peak condition.  No doubt this week will be a different type of challenge but I am looking forward to seeing how my body responds.  This week it really hit me just how much a number on a scale doesn’t mean a thing.  My weight continues to go up and down a few pounds but my body fat keeps dropping.  So I have stopped weighing myself at home because the number means nothing to me at this point.  I weigh in at Nutrishop weekly and it also calculates my body fat and muscle so the results show me more of a big picture.  I am down about six percent body fat from January and plan to drop another four to five percent in the next three weeks.

I am doing two cardio sessions a day and still feel so much better than I did when I was bulking.  I am grateful to be able to get up early and do my cardio with plenty of energy!  A good multivitamin is extremely helpful for that right now.  Before I added the vitamin in morning cardio made me feel awful.  Now I am able to get through it much easier!  I take Nature’s Fuel from Nutrishop.  I won’t lie...super tired of chicken and veggies but the light is shining at the end of the tunnel.  I have made so many new friends on this journey.  I believe I have said it before but it is both extremely challenging and extremely rewarding!

Physical and mental strength

I signed up for this “seemed like a good idea at the time” journey to the stage in August.  I needed something new to focus on.  It started out with bulking to gain muscle and I thought that was hard.  Friends will tell you I was grouchy (truth) and depressed (truth) because bulking was awful for me.  I loved gaining muscle but feeling stuffed and cutting cardio was hard.  I counted down the days until I could eat less food.

Fast forward to January and I finally started cutting back on food slowly.  Now there became a new pressure of having a deadline to reach a low body fat.  My body doesn’t want to get to a low body fat naturally past a certain point...at least that is what it seems to be telling me at the moment.  So my current mental battle is facing losing body fat while maintaining muscle and dealing with cravings.  I would rather be hungry than stuffed so I still prefer this phase to bulking.  But I have never had a looming deadline of having to fit into a tiny swimsuit in five weeks.  And it is tiny.

I have also realized how much I use food as an escape.  If I am having a bad day I look forward to pizza and Netflix.  Chicken and veggies and Netflix isn’t real exciting.  So while I wasn’t binging on food before I was still using it to provide something that is missing.  I have read that sugar hits the same pleasure center in the brain that cocaine does.  So maybe it is a rush of good feelings that I am missing, even if they are temporary.  So I was depressed bulking and still fighting depression now.  Not to be "poor me" by any means but sharing the mental challenges this journey has brought with it.

Along the way there are some really good life lessons though.  Motivation, discipline, self-control, and not relying on others for approval to name a few.   Celebrate the small victories and don't let small set backs consume you.  Push yourself even when nobody else is there to watch.  Remember why you started and don't give up on yourself.  And never compare yourself to others.  Your journey isn't the same as theirs.  Prove to yourself you are stronger than you ever knew.  Physically and mentally.

Current empties and updates

This past week I was hit with a bad bug, maybe the flu?  I don't know but it knocked me on my butt.  I am finally on the mend.  Food doesn't repulse me and I have some energy again.  Looking forward to getting back to my routine again this week.  I've gone from bulking mode to cutting and have significantly decreased my calories which is awesome.  Bulking was really tough for me mentally.  More on that below.   

I have finished up a lot of supplements lately.  I still start every morning with my Spark from Advocare.  Mandarin Orange has been the flavor I've favored lately.  I finished up another Nerium Youth Factor supplement.  My favorite O2 Gold from Advocare which I just re-ordered.  I've started taking Cinnamon which is a metabolism support.  Nature's Fuel from Nutrishop which is a superfood/greens mix.  It doesn't taste the best but it is better than eating vegetables all day!  Advocare Omegaplex for Omega's and finally Stance ATP and ANX3 for my pre-gym supplements.  Supplements aren't necessary they just supplement a good diet an exercise program.  

Beauty/misc. I finished up 2 Suave dry shampoos.  For three bucks I feel like you just can't beat this dry shampoo.  I finally finished the Peter Thomas Roth pumpkin enzyme mask which I really like using once a week.  From Bath and Body Works I used up a Vanilla Bean Noel lotion.  Love this scent.  I used a Vanilla Snowflake candle which is also my favorite from the winter scents.  I also had a Vanilla Snowflake hand soap.  I finally burned the Happy Birthday Yankee candle from my birthday.  The Nivea lip butter is a must have.  Also a must have is the Maybelline Fit Me concealer.  Another face mask sample I used was the Glam Glo charcoal mask which I really like for breakouts.  I always use the Equate eye cream and have repurchased this bad boy.   I had a small Clinque eye cream which was nice but I just wasn't willing to spend the money on another one right now.  I bought the Body Merry neck cream from Amazon and didn't notice any crazy differences from using it so I probably won't buy this neck cream again.  Then I'm just throwing away a Maybelline Color Tattoo eye cream that has dried out too much to use.

In the past I used to post the price of these items but I currently am just too focused elsewhere to concentrate enough to.  The NPC Midwest fitness competition I'm training for is eight weeks away and it is consuming my thoughts.  For those that don't know, I started this fitness competition journey in August and started off by lean bulking which is an attempt to build muscle with minimal body fat gain.  I put on a good 12-15 pounds depending on the day.  Now I'm cutting weight and I need to shed about 16 pounds in the next eight weeks.  It is a bit overwhelming to have the deadline approaching, a swimsuit that I currently look ridiculous in, and a posing routine to learn on top of it all.  My calories went from 2,700 when bulking (which was pure misery) and slowly dropped back down.  This week I am down another 300 calories which I do fine with other than less energy for the gym.  I would much rather eat way less food than stuff myself like I had to do last year.  Bulking works because you have to be in a caloric surplus to build muscle but it really was a challenge for me.  While I liked building muscle, and didn't mind eating my way through the holidays, purposely eating more than I wanted to was not a mindset I was used to.  Now my challenge is to stay focused on working to shed fat without losing the muscle I put on.  It's amazing how aware I have become of days and time because of this process.  March 31st is only 54 days away!

Goodbye 2017

Here we are at the end of 2017 already!  I hope everyone has had a good Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.  

I've been staying busy with work, working out, and hanging out with my dog and the visiting grand-pup Carrie. 

She is a lot of fun and gets along really well with Jazzie.  She has taken up wearing sweaters now that it is freezing outside.  She makes herself right at home at my house. 

I am happy to be on a team that believes in office pranks.  Our boss discovered what happens when he decides to take a week off! 

I am still giving some thought to my 2018 goals.  I usually have them all lined up by now.  2017 ended up being a good year with a new job, new flooring, a half-marathon PR, and new workout goals started and continuing. 

In 2018 I am looking forward to a fun vacation and remodeling my bathroom shower, as well as stepping outside of my comfort zone with fitness goals and have fun while doing it.  I want to relax more, not get worked up about the little things and be more mindful and in the moment (I think this is a constant goal). 

"Doing anything with intent and purpose will always come out better than going through the motions."  - Marie Purvis

Bring on 2018! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I have a lot of pictures to post, however, I am now a converted iPhone user.  As such, I have no idea how to get my pictures on the blog.  There is something about adding a Google Plus app in order to add the pictures.  I don't know but a lot of you won't be surprised to know this is a struggle for me.

So basically to sum up what I've been up to: 

-Today I ran the Turkey Trax 5k.  It was cold.  It was fun.  It is always a good time.

-Just got back from a fun trip to Nashville with Lisa and friends.  Good times were had by all.  Some will be remembered, some maybe not so much. 

-Considering a bathroom remodel. 

-Other than that, work, gym, eat, work, gym, eat. 

-Once I figure out my iPhone I will post pics I promise!  Sorry for the quiet blog time lately!