Transitions

Life is finally starting to settle down, and I’m both relieved to have some down time and excited to do it all over again next year! The last three weeks of training have been amazing! It felt so good to have my energy back (the last two weeks before the last competition were especially draining—but that was likely the result of too little sleep because of my gruelling beauty regime. Scrubbing and moisturizing your body like there’s no tomorrow sure eats up a lot of time!), and I love that each session, I’m back a little stronger than the last time!

I had my first “off-season” check-in with Layne three Saturdays ago, and, as I expected, I was up a little in weight. I haven’t had a single cheat after the competition (when I had a Snickers bar and a couple of small protein bars after the competition), and my off-season diet seems to include a ridiculous amount of food (it’s not much more than what I was eating during contest prep, with regards to calories, but it feels like a ton!). Anyway, with the goal of building muscle, weight gain is inevitable (and actually what I want, as long as it’s in the form of muscle and not fat!), but it’s certainly going to take some getting used to to not feel disappointment when the number on the scale goes up rather than down. It’s going to take a lot of psychological training to switch my mindset 180 degrees! Especially as a woman, I think, it’s very unnerving to see the number on the scale creep up. But, with my unwavering trust in Layne, I know he’ll get me to where I want to be. Not everyone’s body reacts the same way to changes in macronutrient distribution, so it will take some tweaking and learning about my own body to find the right balance. At my second update two Saturdays ago, Layne said I looked even leaner than I did at the competition (I was the same weight I was on my first off-season check-in), so my macros have steadily been increasing! I just hope that doesn’t make it that much harder to restrict when competition time rolls around again!

Interestingly (but not surprisingly), people really believe I gained muscle during my contest prep. Whatever I gained during my prep was minimal, I can assure you that! The only difference is that I shed some of the insulation that was hiding those muscles. The off-season is where muscle is built. This is why most competitors and bodybuilders don’t stay competition lean year-round. Building muscle requires an excess of calories, and losing body fat requires a calorie deficit. People don’t gain weight after a competition because they suddenly lose all self-control (although that does happen to many people); in many cases, it’s taking them a step closer to their goals! This weight gain doesn’t have to be huge (I’ve read about people gaining anywhere from 5-30 lb in the off-season), and it’s especially important for many women to maintain a certain level of body fat to keep their hormones in check. I’ll keep you updated on my off-season progress with the occasional picture here and there, but do understand that I’m not getting weaker and lazier (and no, muscle does NOT turn into fat), but that my goals have (for the meantime) changed. However, I’m not going to post my weekly pictures on my blog until I start the next contest prep, because some people have actually taken it a bit too far (in my opinion) and actually started criticizing me week for week (the day before my second competition, a coworker told me I looked much better the week before. Thanks for the vote of confidence!). I’m all for constructive criticism, but I think it’s time to take the focus off of every little weekly physical fluctuation for a while (until I suit up and allow myself to be judged while standing on a stage in a bikini again!). I’m critical enough about myself as it is! (Especially now as I’m transitioning into the off-season). About three months before my next competition (which, right now, looks to be June 1), I’ll start “cutting” (losing body fat) again, and we’ll see how much muscle I’ve been able to pack on until then! Layne says that champions are made in the off-season, so there’s no time for slacking now!

3 weeks after the competition. A little "fluffier," but I'm getting stronger and stronger in the gym!

The Olympia Expo!

So, although it feels like I went to Las Vegas YEARS ago, I’ll give you the low-down on what happened at the Olympia Expo!

So, after my Thursday from heaven (two incredible photo shoots, meeting my coach and some of my fitness idols!), I woke up on Friday not thinking it could get any better! I first wanted to get my workout out of the way, and by the time I got to the hotel gym, it was PACKED! As in people staggered between machines and all over the floor to lift weights! But, as the expo began at 10, by 9:30, the gym had thinned out to a reasonable volume. I was even able to claim a bench! Then, it was time to jump on the shuttle bus to the Convention Center!

As soon as the bus pulled up, I understood why people left the gym so they could be there at 10:00 sharp. The lineup to get in was INSANE! It ran all the way back to the parking lot and then looped around to the entrance again! It did move relatively quickly, but standing in the hot sun was still not pleasant!

OLYMPIA!

By the time I made it inside (in typical fashion, the AC was FREEZING!), sporting my new Ava Cowan tank (my new favourite top!) the expo was in full swing! Booths as far as the eye could see, with fitness models and athletes at every booth and walking around. What a strange and wonderful industry that you can find all of your fitness idols gathered in one place (imagine if Hollywood had a meet-and-greet with all of the stars you’ve ever wanted to meet!).

I had no idea where to start, so I just started wandering aimlessly through the aisles (I wish they had given out maps to help orient me!), my heart racing every time I saw someone I recognized from Facebook or out of a magazine. There were protein bar and shake samples everywhere (if I hadn’t been in the midst of my competition diet, I would have loaded up on those for lunch!) and more fit people than I’ve ever seen together in one place!

I was able to catch the last part of figure prejudging. Cameras can never capture the way the suits glittered in the lights! It was incredible seeing all of those perfect physiques (yes, one woman has to win, but to me, they all looked flawless!) on stage together. I was surprised at the variations in posing, even though figure has relatively standard (in comparison with bikini) poses, and learned a lot about what I don’t want my posing to look like (even in bikini, I don’t want any of my poses to make me look cheap!). Unfortunately, I got in too late to see the bikini prejudging, but I had tickets to the finals later that night!

After I’d wandered past all the booths, I decided it was time to start introducing myself to some of my fitness idols and grabbing some pictures! The first person I met was Christina Halkiopoulos with Muscle Warfare. She’s an Australian fitness model (originally from Greece), and she was so nice and of course, just as beautiful as she is in her pictures!

Christina Halkiopoulos

Next, I decided to meet THE Pauline Nordin of Fighter Diet! I love her no-nonsense, unapologetic approach to fitness and diet. She tells it like it is, even if the truth hurts (she’s never going to tell you to eat “in moderation” or sit on the adductor machine at the gym!), and I love her dedication and commitment to eating right year-round! After some difficulties with my iPhone camera, we finally snapped a pic!

Pauline Nordin!

After Pauline, I decided to head to the Labrada booth and meet Kelsey Byers. Kelsey’s cover of Oxygen’s Off the Couch issue had just been released, and it has an article in it describing her personal body transformation and how she finds balance in her fit, healthy lifestyle. Her motto is “Eat clean and follow your dreams,” and her success as a fitness model is well-deserved! She was so friendly and posted her picture of us on her Facebook page later that night (she even remembered my name and that I was competing!). Her advice for competing was to remember that any shaking while I’m up on stage can’t be seen by the judges or the audience, so I shouldn’t worry about it. That was VERY useful advice for when the big day actually came! Another thing she advised was for me to create an athlete page on Facebook, so anyone who wants to follow along with my fitness-related posts can (and I won’t annoy the rest of my Facebook friends with motivational quotes and fitness articles!). So, without further ado…my Facebook athlete page! “Like” it, and I’ll start posting soon! I should start getting some edited pictures back soon, so this is where I’ll post them!

Kelsey Byers!

Next up was fitness model Amanda Adams at the Oh Yeah! booth. I’ve been a fan of hers on Facebook for about a year, and more recently, she started following me on Instagram (follow me @mimibikini!), where she left a really nice compliment on a photo of mine the week before! She recognized me right away (I know! These fitness girls have incredible memories!), and was also so friendly and energetic! My lovely friend Sophia had given me two letters to give to her and Jamie Eason, so after giving her Sophia’s handwritten letter, I got to film her thanking Sophia and wishing her luck at the competition. So nice! I know I’ll meet Amanda at other fitness events in the next few years…maybe the Arnold in the spring?

Amanda Adams

I decided to bite the bullet next and stand in line for the bodybuilding.com booth. Whereas at most booths, the line was at most 10 people long, the line for bodybuilding.com wrapped around the extra-long booth and extended far down the aisle, past many other booths! I ended up waiting in line for 45 minutes, and when I got the front, I finally got to meet all of the bodybuilding.com athletes! Kathleen Tesori, Ashley Horner, Laura Bailey (her shoulder workout on bodybuilding.com is incredible!! A must-try!), Alicia Marie, Courtney Prather…everyone was there! (Some male models were there too, of course, but I was only interested in meeting my female fitness idols!) Sophia had given me another letter to give to Jamie Eason, but she had already left for the day (nooooooo!!!), so I vowed to come back the next day and get it to her!

Kathleen Tesori

Laura Bailey

Alicia Marie

I spent the rest of the day meeting other fitness icons like Dana Linn Bailey! She has an incredible physique and manages to stay super-ripped even in the offseason!

Dana Linn Bailey (curse you, shaky camera man!)

I also got a picture snapped with Nicole Wilkins (the then-reigning Figure Olympia champion) at the Met-Rx booth.

Nicole Wilkins

Surprisingly, the number-one place to meet fitness models was in the bathroom! I met Justine Moore and Vanessa Tib in the bathroom, but felt a little silly asking for photos in front of the sinks (but I did introduce myself and say hi!). By the time I got back to the hotel, I was exhausted from an overwhelming day, and I still had a show to watch in the evening!

After a quick chat with my hubby, I made my way to the Orleans Arena for the Bikini, Fitness, and Ms. Olympia finals! Fitness has always been my favourite event to watch, because the competitors always make it look like they’re able to suspend gravity on that stage! The amount of control these athletes have over their bodies and the fact that they’re able to perform such energetic routines while dieting down for the show (they’re also judged on their physiques in a swimwear round) is mind-boggling to me!

After the fitness round was over, it was time for bikini! Watching all of those women walk on stage was super inspiring, and it was amazing to see some of my favourite physiques live on stage! The best part was seeing the different styles the competitors had; not every walk was the same, and the poses varied quite a bit. I learned a lot about what I do and don’t want to do (basically, I’m not a fan of the super-fake exaggerated poses. The more natural poses appeal to me for many reasons, but mainly because the competitors are still able to look classy and respectable). I couldn’t believe that in just one week, I would be on stage in my own competition!

The Ms. Olympia competition was really interesting, since I’d never watched a female bodybuilding competition before (this is the class with the reeeeeaally big, often masculine-looking competitors). They all had routines (with music) that they performed, and some of their routines really wowed me. It’s not often you see such a muscular person perform the splits or do backflips!

By the time the prejudging for Mr. Olympia began, I was so exhausted from the day that I left after watching a just a few competitors. Although I have a lot of respect for the hard work these athletes do, this girl needed her beauty sleep! After all, I had some more fitness people to meet the next day!

The next day, bright and early, I did my scheduled HIIT cardio workout in my hotel room. I love getting creative with cardio intervals! I was off to the expo earlier than on Friday, but when I got to the expo, it was more packed than it had been the day before! First stop was the bodybuilding.com booth, as I had to fulfill my mission of giving Jamie her letter from Sophia! I made my way to the end of the line (after first making sure that Jamie was there this time!), and it was SO LONG! It took almost 3 hours to get to the front! But when I got there, one of the coolest things happened! I had been chatting with the guy behind me in line (who had just competed in his first bodybuilding competition), and when I saw Kathleen Tesori, she smiled and waved at me (she recognized me from the day before). The look on the guy’s face was priceless! “You know her?!” He asked, incredulous. (This was the same look he gave me when I told him that Layne was my coach. “THE Layne Norton?? Is he here??”) I felt a little bit more like I belonged ;)

Once I was at the front of the line, it took another bout of waiting until I finally got to see Jamie. Sweet as she was, she took the time to talk to everyone, and when hundreds of people are in line specifically to meet her, that takes awhile! (Plus, Amanda Latona came to interview her at one point. AMANDA LATONA! She’s so stunning in person and has such a knockout physique!) By the time it was finally my turn, Jamie’s husband had packed up all their things, and she was on her way out! I got there just in the nick of time! I gave her the letter from Sophia, and she even let me record a thank-you video for her! A quick snapshot (and a compliment from her that I looked great!), and that was that! Jamie Eason is a HUGE name in the fitness industry (the BIGGEST fitness model out there, and she’s been in every fitness magazine out there. Her 12-week LiveFit trainer was actually what got me interested in eating clean and having a workout plan! (Check it out for FREE on bodybuilding.com! It's not just for women either; there are meal plans for men as well!) She’s also very open about her life (her faith, her past regrets, etc), which is why so many women (myself included!) can relate to and find inspiration from her!

JAMIE EASON!

Walking around, I met Bry Jensen, who competed in her first bikini competition in March and is currently training for her second in November. Another Facebook friend! It always feels awkward approaching people who have no idea who you are (it always makes me feel like a stalker for recognizing them!), but she (like everyone else) was super friendly and encouraging.

Bry Jensen

I also met Bry’s former coach, Leigh Brandt, at the Pharma Freak booth.

Leigh Brandt

At the BSN booth, I introduced myself to Amanda Latona (swoon! Before she competed, she was in the girl group Innosense and dated Howie from the Backstreet Boys, so she’s a bit of a non-fitness celebrity too!) and met Jennifer Nicole Lee (who’s made a HUGE career from her fitness journey. Books, clothing, ebooks, seminars, magazine articles, modelling…it’s incredible!).

AMANDA LATONA!

Jennifer Nicole Lee

Finally, I made my way over to the Scivation booth to meet up with Layne. His wife, Isabel, and I started chatting, and it was just refreshing to meet such honest, genuine people who give their true opinions on things. I let Layne know about my post-competition goals (I would like to look more muscular than most bikini girls. More like the Diva Fitness Model girls from the WBFF, which is a bit in between bikini and figure), so we decided to work toward that and see where I best fit in (should I be a small figure girl or a muscular bikini girl?). It was the perfect end to a perfect weekend!

Once I left the expo, I had to pack…and with all the samples I had accumulated over the past few days, I was thankful to have brought an almost-empty backpack with me! (One of those big backpacker-type backpacks!)

Olympia was definitely a weekend I won’t soon forget. Just the atmosphere and being around so many people who care about their health (OK, and appearance as well) makes me really want to be involved in fitness in some way or another (haven’t quite figured that out yet!). Hopefully, I’ll be able to make it down to the Arnold Sports Festival next year in March (in Ohio), but I think I might have to make Olympia an annual event! It definitely gave me the boost I needed before my competitions!