Changing Seasons

Whew! After a WHIRLWIND three weeks (sorry to anyone I’ve been neglecting; I’m just getting around to finally phoning people back!), my competition “season” is over! As amazing as it was, I’m kind of glad I get a break from it all now!

So, I had my second competition on Saturday! It was a lot of fun, and I felt much less nervous this time! On Friday, it all kicked off with our sign-in/registration and athletes meeting. I had no idea that the CEO/President and Vice-President would be there and came dressed after my photo shoot (I had such a fun photo shoot at Empire Ballroom with Pink Elephant Photography that afternoon! They were such nice people, and their daughter is so charming and adorable!) in casual clothes. After I checked in and got my number (308!), I sat around to wait for the meeting to start and saw so many tall girls walk in, all done up and in short bandage dresses! At the meeting last week, most of the girls were in sweatpants (I was in a silk robe!) to protect their tans, so this was a definite change! Guess I missed the memo on that!

Paul Dillett, the CEO/President, welcomed us with a really encouraging speech. The vision of the WBFF is to promote athletes with regards to modelling, and the focus is more on that aspect of the industry than competing (as he said, whoever gets first place has to go to work on Monday just like whoever gets last place; nothing changes with a trophy!). It left me feeling really good about the next day, and after getting back to our hotel room (it was really close to the Citadel, where the competition took place, and I got an incredible deal on Hotwire!) and applying my Jan Tana (this time, my wonderful hubby helped even out my back!), I hit the hay for some beauty sleep.

I got up a little earlier than last time, warmed up, and managed to eat all my meals on time. I was ready to hit the stage long before they called us, which was so nice! (What a difference!) My category (Diva Bikini Model Short) was really small this time: only 7 competitors! There were a lot of first-time competitors there on Saturday, and it felt weird to not be a first-timer anymore! Backstage, the atmosphere was quite different than it was at my first show. Although I didn’t feel the competitiveness at the first show that I’d been warned about, it was definitely more lighthearted and relaxed at the WBFF show. The girls were spread out into 5 different dressing rooms that made it feel more glamourous in itself (as opposed to the Muscle Beach competition that had everyone gather in one big warm-up room). Girls were excited and nervous, and it was just a really fun atmosphere!

Finally, we were called to line up. I was chomping at the bit this time! It was amazing to have my husband and Sophia and her husband, John, in the audience, cheering me on! As soon as I walked out onto that stage and heard Sophia calling my name, it gave me an extra push to work the stage! And my lips were not shaking (at least, not as badly!) this time! I guess the experience of last week really helped get the jitters out of me! I definitely felt more confident this time too! I walked back into the line of competitors and waited for them to announce their callouts for comparison. This time, I was in the second group of girls (there were only two groups, but it sounds less depressing this way!) and then, they had us do a pose-off! Since the WBFF really concentrates on modelling more than a physique competition, I just had to work it as if I knew what I was doing! It actually ended up being a lot of fun, but I was excited to see my cheering section outside in the lobby!

After some chit-chat, my husband and I went back to our hotel room for some down time. I had a much-needed nap before having to eat my meals, redo my makeup (I still wasn’t happy with it, and I think next time, I’ll hire a makeup artist to do it for me! I found it really hard to do makeup to go with my skin being so dark), pump up (lift light weights to try to force blood into my muscles and make them nice and plump) and head back to the theatre. My loving husband was so patient with me that day, taking me here and there all day (he was out of town for week the three weeks before and got home on Thursday). Love you, Sweetie!

One thing I was really excited about with the night show was that the bikini round was up first! After our athletes parade (we basically all walked out, wave, stood in lines, and then walked to the front of the stage and posed--here's a video! Try to find me!), my category lined up right away, and it was time! This was basically a repeat of the morning show, but we were all compared at once (a perk of being in such a small class!), and it went by much faster. We each stepped forward one at a time, posed, and that was it!

When I got backstage, I couldn’t wait to get my bikini off! We’re not allowed to wear deodorant with our fake tanner on (it smelled REALLY good backstage! Haha!), and we have to use a product called Bikini Bite to glue our bikinis to our bodies (so no one accidentally shows too much skin while we arch our backs and/or lean over in our back pose!). So basically, my body was covered in brown paint and glue, and I just wanted to put normal clothes on! I got into my evening gown and then waited…and waited…and waited! I think it ended up being a whole TWO HOURS until we finally went out again! I spent the time eating my last snacks (a cake-batter Rice Krispy treat that Sophia’s sister made for me! It was sooo good and a welcome substitute for one of my rice cakes with honey that I had been instructed to eat that day! Thanks, Rachel!!!), surfing the Internet, and chatting with the other girls in my dressing room. I was just so anxious to get it all over with so I could shower (!!!) and hang out with my hubby!

After an ETERNITY, we were called to line up for the evening gown round! The exciting thing was, the Diva Fitness Model category was up before us (I really want to compete in this category next year; they get to wear theme wear, which sounds like so much fun, and their bodies are closest to what I’d like my body to look like. Kind of like a cross between bikini and figure and really lean!), and since this was near the end of the show, they were handing out medals, trophies, and pro cards to the winners. The girl who won the DFM short category had shared a dressing room with us, and she was so ecstatic to have won her pro card! And the woman who won the tall category was so over-the-moon happy that she ran screaming down the hall backstage! It’s wonderful to see people win who really appreciate it, and it’s so exciting to think of what’s in store for their future!

So, we finally paraded out in our gowns. I was happy with the gown I found (on eBay for $50!), but it definitely wasn’t a dress that I’d spent hours looking for, as I wasn’t about to spend a lot of money on a dress that I’d wear once. I felt pretty good, and then, it was time for the moment of truth.

Each of us received a medal (kind of like a “Participant” ribbon in the elementary track-and-field days), and they announced their top three. I wasn’t third or second, and as they kept the audience in suspense about the winner, I secretly hoped it wasn’t me. What?! you may think. Isn’t this why you did the competition? To win? Well, I knew that one particular girl had been competing for over a year and really, really wanted her pro card. And what would I do with a pro card anyway? I’m just at the start of my fitness journey! I did the second show mostly to get some more feedback, so I can come back better next year!

The girl I wanted to win ended up winning, and since it meant the most to her, I was really glad! I love it when hard work gets rewarded, and who knows? Maybe that will be me next year!

So, two competitions later, I have yet to place, but they were really fantastic learning experiences! I’m really proud of the changes I’ve been able to make in the past 12 weeks, and Layne is really happy with the results as well (I even got some really heartwarming emails from him last week about how honoured he is to have been part of my journey and how proud he is of how I look!), so I definitely think I’ve won in achieving what I set out to achieve! It’s been a life-changing 12 weeks (REALLY made me realize how important nutrition is and learn a lot about diet), and I wouldn’t have done a thing differently! I followed Layne’s plan through and on point right to the very end (and I’ve never stuck to any diet or eating plan for this long before!), and as far as what the judges prefer, that’s really out of my control.

But of course, there’s always room for improvement, and I’m taking the judges’ suggestions! The focus is now on building muscle, and my diet has been changed accordingly (Layne will see how my body responds to his plan, and we’ll adjust as necessary). I started my offseason diet and training on Sunday (no time to waste if I want to start working toward my offseason goals!), and so far, it’s going really well! I’m sore from my workouts and have the energy to lift heavy and intense again! It feels so great, and I can’t wait to start seeing results! The next competition will likely be in June (the Northern Alberta Bodybuilding Championships) and possibly July (the date hasn’t been posted, but the WBFF usually hosts a show in Calgary mid-month). And definitely next fall for these two competitions again! I’m using the pictures from this time as my new “before” pictures. It’ll be exciting to see what my new “after” pictures look like next year!

Thanks for sharing in my journey to the stage! I’ll keep updating this page with various topics (including my more-than-fashionably-late Olympia blog post!). I really appreciate everyone’s support!

My second week of training until now

What a difference 13 weeks makes!

Here We Go Again!

So, here we are yet again! It’s the day before another competition, and another week of peak week has flown by! I can’t believe it’s been almost a week since my first competition, and I’m really excited to hit the stage again tomorrow! (Although curse those trembling lips! I just keep repeating to myself that no one can see them shaking—even if it’s not true, I have to tell myself that!) I’m excited to see what I look like tomorrow(although I’ll probably look exactly the same as I did last week, just with better hair and makeup!), and I’m very anxious to see how they score me this time and what they have to say about where I should improve. I’m really glad I decided to do this second competition, if only for the feedback! (Plus, this time, I’ll have Sophia and my hubby in the audience, so it will be nice to know people came out just to support me!)

As you all know, I had an incredible photo shoot on Monday with the extremely talented David Ford, and today, I have another shoot (my last L) with Pink Elephant. First, I’m getting my hair and makeup done by my wonderful hair stylist at Honey Dome (hopefully, my hair and eye makeup will last until the end of tomorrow!), then it’s off to shoot, and THEN, it’s time for the athletes check-in and meeting to find out the schedule of events for tomorrow. I really hate how they don’t tell you the sequence of events until the night before (is Bikini at the beginning or the end? They have to at least know that now!), but that can’t be changed! This time, I’ll be there nice and early so I’ll have enough time for my meals and maybe meet some of the other competitors (or just relax with my earbuds in). I’ve tweaked my posing a little, and this time, I get to do all the poses I’d practised! I hope the stage is as non-scary as it was last time, but I’ll make it through there somehow!

My meals are packed for tomorrow (this it the “so…much…food…”part of the prep!), and I’m feeling good and ready. My weight is down to exactly where it was last Friday, and in a surprising twist, Layne was getting really sappy yesterday, saying how he’s so proud to have been a part of my journey and how I’ve been doing a great job! (Sorry, in his words, a “GREAT”job!) This is really unlike him (he’s not one to flatter his clients for no reason), so when he says things like this, it’s because he actually means them (aww!). I personally don’t think I’ve done anything extraordinary over these past 13 weeks (I just stuck to his plan!), but I’m happy at where I am right now too! That being said, I’m looking forward to the offseason! Just a change in diet and training will be very welcome, and over the last week especially, I’ve started to feel weaker and weaker in the gym (we’ve been manipulating my macronutrient intake every day, so I think my body is a little confused at the moment!). I like feeling STRONG in the gym and lifting heavier and heavier (and I miss DOMS so much!), so I’m excited to be back in full force next week!

I’ll of course keep everyone updated on the comp as tomorrow progresses (check my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). Thanks again for all your support! I’ll do my best to make you all proud!

Judgment Day...(Part 2)

Whew! All that work for a few minutes of glory on stage and it was definitely worth it! You already know how prejudging went (and my ensuing disappointment), so I’ll let you know how the evening show went!

I arrived back at the Winspear early enough this time to make sure I wasn’t madly swallowing my last meals before the stage (I ate SO much on show day, I even asked Layne for permission to skip one of my meals! By the end of the day, I was just feeling so overstuffed!) and got my tan touched up right away to avoid the rush. They told me that Bikini Bite (a glue to make sure our suits don’t ride up or shift in position while we’re posing) and glaze couldn’t be applied just yet, but that there was more than enough time to apply it before we went on stage…so Sophia and I hung out for a while before trying again. Well, this time (they hadn’t even called the Medium class to get prepped yet), there were huge lines, and the people applying the Bikini Bite and glaze were moving SO SLOWLY! I didn’t even have time to get mine done before we were called to line up in the hall. Great! (There was a woman walking around in the hallway who applied Bikini Bite to me, thankfully!)

The night show went by much quicker than the daytime show (our comparisons were in numerical order, but the judges had already made their decisions by this point, so it was mostly just for show), and as they called out the top 5, I was over the moon that Sophia was among them! (Although I had suspected it!) Even though I didn’t place (the rest of us didn’t get ranked), it was really special to see her do so well and take home SECOND PLACE!!! She worked really hard to get to the competition, and she looked amazing (not to mention how far she’s come in the last few years as a result of consistently eating clean and working out)! It meant a lot to me to be able to celebrate in her victory, and we were both more than a little teary-eyed backstage! Congratulations, Sophia!!!

After Sophia had left for dinner with her husband and friends, I HAD to stick around and talk to the judges! I asked again backstage, and the girls again offered that I could just email them, and the judges would “hopefully” get back to me, but that wasn’t good enough for me! I had to know now! So I sat down in the audience and waited for the show to end (it’s an entertaining show, so I’m not sure why a lot of people were discouraging me from staying all the way to the end to talk to the judges!). The girls had said that I should sit close to the judges so I could talk to them before they packed up their things and left, so I parked myself as close to them as possible without feeling like I was creepily stalking them, and the second the show ended, I ran to their table!

Since deciding to compete and hiring Layne, this was by far the best decision I’ve made! (I was surprised that no one else was lining up to talk to the judges! I couldn’t have slept that night not knowing where I could improve!) The judges had already starting packing up their things, but I managed to ask them sweetly for some feedback, and they were actually really nice and supportive! And they all said the same thing: while they loved my tiny waist and all noted that I “had potential,” they all thought I needed to build muscle because I was too small! This was not what I had been expecting (I’ve got some guns!), but I had wanted to gain muscle in the offseason anyway, so it works out! It was a relief to know why they placed me so low, and I even asked if I was too lean (since they picked girls who were much less lean before me), but they said I just needed to bulk up (but not my waist), and then I’d be golden! I let Layne know right away, so he knows how to tailor my diet in the offseason (starting Sunday!).

All in all, my competing experience was great, and I would still encourage everyone to try it at least once! Or at least commit to a diet and exercise plan for 12 weeks and see how far it takes you! (But once you’ve done that, why wouldn’t you go that extra step and compete?) I still have the competition this coming Saturday at the Citadel, so I’m excited to see how they like me there! (Since it’s a different federation, the rules are a bit different, as is the judging.) Hopefully, they’ll be as open with their feedback as they were at the last show, and I’ll know exactly where I can improve when/if I decide to compete again next year!

I had another incredible photo shoot yesterday with David Ford, who was also the official photographer at the competition (and will be the photographer at the one coming up too). We took some great gym shots and some AMAZING black-and-white artistic shots! They turned out even better than I had expected, and I can’t wait to see some of them when they’re edited! Here’s a sneak peek:

I have one more shoot on Friday with Pink Elephant, and that shoot is in a nightclub, which will definitely be different! I think if anyone wants to challenge him- or herself but perhaps not compete, a photo shoot is wonderful motivation to get in shape, and they’re a lot of fun! (The photographers will light and position you in ways that make you look better than you ever thought you could!)

I’ll keep you all updated on how Saturday’s show goes! I’m looking forward to getting another chance to showcase my hard work and hear some feedback from a different set of judges!

Judgment Day...(Part 1)

I just finished prejudging and have a few hours to kill until the evening show, so I decided what better way to use my time than to blog about how it went? (Don’t worry, I will still blog about the Olympia expo, but I’m a little preoccupied!)

So, yesterday, my darling friend, Christina helped me apply my first coat of Jan Tana (thanks, Tine!), which arrived JUST in time (Friday at 2!)! I was feeling ridiculously dark, and I knew I still had another coat to apply this morning. Eeeek!!! The makeup that was intended to match the tan perfectly was so dark, I couldn’t believe my skin would become that colour! Fast forward 12 hours later, and it’s definitely darker than I ever thought I would be!

We had our competitors meeting last night too. They quickly ran over the schedule of events (which unfortunately, I couldn’t hear, since people around me were talking SO loudly!) and had us wait to be heighted in so we could be organized into different height classes (and weight classes for the bodybuilders). After confirming that I’m 5’3”, I was put into the medium height division! (So there, people who call my shrimpy and say I need to wear heels so I can look a “normal” height! I’m medium, damn it!) We then waited some more and got out numbers. Lucky (or unlucky!) number 113, it is! It was great to see my gorgeous friend, Sophia (vote for her to become Status Magazine cover girl here!), for the first time in 12 weeks! She’s worked REALLY hard to get to this point, and you can definitely see her hard work! Life changing!

Luckily, since bikini was going to be on a little later in the schedule, I got to sleep in a little bit today! A little too late, to be exact…the organizer estimated that we’d be on stage around 11 or 11:30, but when I told Layne, he estimated between 2 and 3! And I had to start eating 6 hours beforehand. I suppose I should have had enough time, but it seemed each meal got pushed back 10 minutes until I was cramming my face just before stage time. Hmm. At any rate, I thought I looked OK (except the horrendous makeup, which made me look like an alien crossed with a drag queen crossed with some sort of monster…), and before I knew it, it was time to hit the stage!

There were 19 of us in our class, and we lined up in the hall just outside the stage. We entered from the side of the stage, stopped on the X, hit our poses, and lined up on the other side of the stage. Sounds simple enough, right?

(Well, one more thing I learned at the meeting was that over-the-head poses were forbidden, so I really had to change my posing routine, since most of them had my hands above my head! Some federations allow it (I’m pretty sure I can do it for the WBFF show next weekend), but this one apparently does not! Arg! Anyway, that was the least of my worries…)

So, I went up there and did my thing. It was almost definitely less clean than it had been in practice (trying to make sure I’m on the X, etc. Oh, and spinning around on CARPET floor! I had never expected a carpeted floor on stage!), but all in all, I thought it went OK. I went to my spot in line and kept a smile glued on my face. Interestingly enough, I didn’t feel nervous, but my lips were shaking like a Polaroid picture! (LOVE that song!). Kelsey Byers (a fitness model I met at Olympia) told me that everyone shakes, and no one in the audience can tell, so that’s what I kept telling myself. It was so uncontrollable that it was actually really frustrating! But I did my best not to let that show.

Anyway, they began doing callouts, which is when the judges ask groups of competitors to the front of the stage so they can compare and rank them. Generally, the first callouts are the judges’ favourites, and it gets progressively less favourable as the callouts go on. Well, I was in the last group of callouts! The LAST group! Meaning the judges HATED me for some reason! I know they haven’t given us our official placings yet (I’ll find that out in a few hours!), but that was really crushing to hear, especially since a lot of the girls I saw looked like my “before” picture, and one girl looked like she’d never practised a pose in her life! (I’m not trying to dog anyone, since I know all competitors worked hard to get up on that stage, but I was and AM so confused as to what was so wrong with me???) I’ll be sticking around after the competition to ask for feedback, so hopefully, the judges will be able to tell me what I should work on for my next competition. Was it just the bad makeup? Hair too flat? Or maybe, since they chose a lot of much softer girls over me, I was too hard? (I’m hoping for the last option, since if I’m going to lose for being too lean and ripped, it means I’m still lean and fit!)

I’ll keep you updated with how tonight goes and how next weekend (different federation!) goes. Thanks so much for everyone’s support throughout this whole journey! It’s really pushed me to try harder and do my best, and I don’t want to let anyone down!

PEAK WEEK and...THE BIG O!!! (No, not that O!)

So, after the world’s longest connection yesterday (my flight from Victoria was delayed by THREE HOURS!), I finally made it back from Sin City! Of course, this being the start of my peak week, there was no sinning allowed!

Where do I start? First, I’ll let you know I started my peak week last Thursday. I was technically supposed to start on Wednesday, but by the time I got my plan, I was already at the airport and had eaten more than the allotted amounts of carbs and fats for that day. Oops. But it all worked out wonderfully, and I managed to eat most of the perishable foods I had packed with me (asparagus, yams, and carrots), so I didn’t have to waste anything after all! My peak week definitely looks doable (as I’ve said before, no water loading/cutting). I’m playing around with my macros and my sodium (which I’d never worried about before), but we’re going to play it by ear how the rest of the week goes. My meals leading up to prejudging (up to 6 hours before) have all been planned, and I cannot wait! There are even Reese’s Cups in my plan! And rice cakes, honey, and peanut butter! (And steak and yams…) How can the show not go great after all those yummy treats?!



So…VEGAS! I arrived late Wednesday night (technically early Thursday morning) and checked into the Orleans (dirty hotel room, and it’s FAR from the Strip! I wouldn’t recommend it!). Olympia stuff was EVERYWHERE, and I couldn’t wait for the festivities to start! First thing first, of course, I had my photo shoots….

Good morning, Las Vegas!

Bright and early at 8:15, I met my hairstylist, Roni, and my makeup artist, Junior, from Rain Cosmetics in the lobby. I was referred to them by Angel Porrino (for anyone who watched the short-lived reality show, Holly’s World, she was one of the starring characters!) via Twitter, and they did not disappoint! They were hilarious and gave me some great gossip (apparently, people are NOT sad that Holly’s leaving Peepshow!), and I looked FABULOUS (not to sound conceited!).

Ready for my shoots!

At 10, I met Harry of LHGFX (who has shot with ALL of the fabulous fitness models and competitors!), and we headed down to the pool. Harry was such a great guy; very warm and friendly, and he gave me great direction for the shoot (since I’ve never done anything like that before!). I cannot WAIT to see the proofs! The pics I saw on his camera were incredible enough!

Harry of LHGFX -- so wonderful!

That hour with him flew by, and soon, it was time to meet Stacy from SO Photography (she’s shot with a lot of fitness celebs too, like Ava Cowan—which is how I heard she would be there—and the day I shot with her, she’d shot with Monica Brant in the morning!).

After walking for what seemed like an eternity in the sweltering Vegas heat to the Luxor, I was surprised that my hair and makeup were still looking fresh! Just a dab of gloss, and I was camera-ready! Stacy and her assistant, Rick, were also super sweet and welcoming! We shot in their hotel room, where they had a big white background set up for the fitness shots. We took a lot of commercial fitness photos (I love those because I get to smile! I have a lot work to do on my pout!) and some more sexy shots as well. That time flew by too, and I couldn’t believe that at the end of it, I had a full day of shooting behind me! I could definitely get used to this lifestyle!

Stacy from SO Photography

Stacy's assistant, Rick

After getting a little lost on my way back (I must’ve taken every possible path around the overpass for the freeway trying to find a way to get across!), I was able to hang out at the hotel, eat, and have a quick Skype date with my hubby. And then it was already time for Meet the Olympians in the hotel!

If anyone is thinking of coming to the Olympia and wants to meet any Olympia athletes, this is a must! I didn’t know how big it would be and came around 8:30, which was a huge mistake! (It started at 8 and closed at 9, which I didn’t know). ALL of the competitors are there, signing autographs, taking pictures, and the lines are much shorter than they are at the expo! Next year, I’ll definitely get there are 8 on the dot!

The first person I met when I got there was none other than LAYNE! I noticed his beautiful wife, Isabelle, first, and then I looked behind her and saw Layne! It took him a few seconds to figure out who I was (he must’ve been bombarded with friends and familiar faces all day, so I didn’t hold that against him!), but once he got it, he gave me a huge hug and introduced me to Isabelle. He was bragging about how I’ve been able to increase my calories as the prep went on, which is apparently really rare! (Yay!) He was on his way out as I was on my way in, so we agreed to chat more during the expo over the next couple of days.

Me and LAYNE NORTON!!

The second person I saw right when I came in was AVA COWAN! I’ve been a huge fan of Ava's since watching her in The Sport of Figure (check it out on YouTube; she’s INCREDIBLE!), and she was standing there looking TINY with a fresh new haircut and colour! I grabbed a picture, let her know I was also training with Layne, and got a free tank from her (my new favourite shirt!!!). Starstruck!

Me and THE Ava Cowan!!!

I was able to meet Erin Stern that night too, and she was unbelievably upbeat and energetic for the night before the competition! She was also one of the few competitors not wearing a baggy tracksuit (I imagine to avoid messing up their competition colour). She was great!

2012 Figure Olympia, Erin Stern!

Just seeing all of the competitors standing or sitting around was incredible. To see all of these people I either follow on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter or see on the pages of fitness magazines all in one room was mind-blowing! Oh, and did I mention I ran into Larissa Reis in the hotel hallway? (I actually saw her a few times over the weekend, as her room was down the hall from mine.) I saw a small, but very shapely woman (her legs are out of this world!!!) walking toward me with a trucker hat, and when she got closer, I noticed who it was. I stopped immediately and had no idea what to say except “OH MY GOD! YOU’RE LARISSA REIS! YOU’RE SO BEAUTIFUL!” And then, the most amazing thing happened: she asked me if I was competing at Olympia! WHAT?! A world-class figure girl thinks I look like I could compete at OLYMPIA?! *swoon!* (I also met her again the next day to grab a photo with her, and the actually remembered me from that brief encounter!)

Larissa Reis!!!

So, my head still spinning from seeing all those competitors in one room, I headed to bed. The next day was the big expo, and there was no way I was missing that!

The expo was INCREDIBLE!!! (Both days!) I’ll post on that later this week (hopefully tomorrow!) because I could honestly write a novel about it! It was such a wonderful experience, and such amazing encouragement for this last week of prep!