Time

Oops! So much for my “more regular” blogging activity! One minute, I was swept up in the competition whirlwind that was mid-June, and all of a sudden, I’m less than 6 weeks out from nationals! Where does the time go? I spent this time training and watching my diet as usual (lifting heavy and changing my rep ranges, and increasing carbs and fats in my diet), and I’ve now been working with Layne again for the past 2 weeks. I’m feeling stronger in the gym, and it feels great eating some more delicious carbs and fats! (He did say that we’ll drop the hammer at 4 weeks out, so I’m enjoying this while I can!)

It always takes me by surprise how fast time flies, and it’s something that’s become especially clear to me since I started my fitness journey (I need to come up with a better term for it, because it sounds so clichéd! It also makes it sound like there’s an end to this “journey,” and it’s really more of a lifestyle that I’ll hopefully be able to maintain in some shape or form forever!). It’s been about a year since I started working with Layne (see? Time flies!), and while it may have taken some getting used to at first (for me, the biggest thing was becoming conscious of what I was eating. Food served a purpose and wasn’t there simply to cram into my mouth whenever I saw it or felt bored), once I got “into the groove,” it was the easiest thing in the world. Sure, my macros change periodically, but I’m basically on autopilot.

One of those “motivational” quotes (I know, they’re so clichéd, but they really do help!) that first kept me going at first was “Whether you do it or not, the time will pass.” Each day, while in itself insignificant, contributes to the end result. Will it matter if you skip a single workout or cheat on your diet? In the grand scheme of things, of course one day will not derail your progress. But whatever your ideal is with regards to appearance, health, or performance, each day can be an investment toward reaching that ideal. It sounds like common knowledge that if you set aside a certain amount of money each day, it adds up with time, and eventually, you’ll have a nice little chunk of change. Fitness and health are like that too. However, many people seem to have little trouble understanding that saving up just a small amount of money each month will lead to a big payout when they retire, but they can’t seem to stick with a fitness or nutrition plan longer than a couple of weeks.

Let me try to explain a diet or fitness plan in monetary terms. Let’s say you start an extreme crash diet and fitness plan. You’re in the gym 7 days a week, surviving on 1000 calories a day. It’s really hard, and it’s really uncomfortable (and it’s definitely not maintainable). Say this equals an effort worth $10 a day. On the other hand, let’s say you start a very moderate diet and exercise program that you can easily work into your everyday life. The effort required for this type of program might be worth about $1 a day. You can only sustain the extreme measures for two weeks, but you can sustain the moderate program for a year. At the end of the year (or at the end of your life, if you want to look at the big picture), who’s reaped the greater reward? Not to mention the metabolic damage and rebound that’s bound to have happened with the two-week program. Even factor in a few “off” days into the dollar-a-day plan, and it still trumps the quick fix!

If health is wealth, how are you contributing to your future physical wealth today? Put a dollar aside in your health piggybank, and eat nutritiously today. Sneak in a quick workout (it doesn’t even have to take longer than a few minutes!). Time will pass as it always does whether you do or you don’t, but in the end, if you keep investing little by little, the payout will be worth the wait. Be patient with your body like you are with your money, and you’ll eventually reap the rewards.

Long Time No Blog!

Goodness, so much has happened since my last update (sorry about that…time really flies when you’re busy! It’s like I just blinked, and here I am!)! I hardly know where to begin, but I’ll start from where I left off!

A few months ago, I thought I would plan my own diet to get ready for the competitions in June (the Oxygen model search in Toronto on June 1 and the Southern Alberta Bodybuilding Competition in Red Deer on June 8). Stupidly, I thought this would be a good time to dabble in intermittent fasting (IF). I had read many online articles about it, and even though the results seemed to be less consistent for women (based on our hormones, which just LOVE to store fat!), I figured I would be OK. Under the IF schedule, I would skip breakfast, work out fasted (with just BCAAs), and eat all my meals within a 10-hour window each day (which meant more food in this limited time frame). I enjoyed eating this way, but my weight wasn’t budging, and I wasn’t seeing the results I should have been, especially as I kept reducing my food intake. Then, I decided to simply use the plan I had initially been on with Layne, but again, I just wasn’t seeing anything happening! At that point (about six weeks ago now), I reached out to Layne to see if he could coach me. Unfortunately, since I came to him so close to my competition, he had to refer me to someone else (he didn’t want to rush diet me for a competition in such a short time). I contacted Brooke Erickson, who was FANTASTIC! She managed to get me bikini ready in record time, and my carbs were relatively high the whole time!

The Toronto show was a bit of a disaster! The day before the show, I had THE photo shoot with Paul Buceta (dream come true!), which was incredible, but when I went to the “official” spray tanners for the show, the nightmare started! First, my appointment wasn’t until 11:20 PM the night before. I showed up early and decided to wait for an opening. Finally, there was one, and I was able to get sprayed at about 10:30. So, I was brought into this room with five portable spray-tanning booths set up, and naked tanned women walking around everywhere waiting for their tans to dry. I was spray tanned, which was fine, but then I had to wait for it to dry. And wait. And wait. And wait. Standing in front of a fan blowing cold air at my naked body. Finally, at almost 1 AM, they told me to go home, and they’d fix it in the morning (my tan never dried for some reason! Other girls were in and out in 10 minutes!). My poor hubby was stuck in downtown Toronto waiting for me, and I couldn’t have felt more terrible! The next morning, I went to get hair and makeup done by the same “official” people. As I sat down in the hair and makeup lady’s chair, she asked what kind of look I wanted: “Porn star or natural?” I said I wanted a natural look, but what I ended up with was the farthest thing from natural I’ve ever seen!!! So I did the show and then left with my hubby. The expo was really small (but maybe I’ve just been spoiled by the Olympia), and we wanted to actually enjoy some time together in Toronto! After that, we met my brother for dinner, and the next day, it was on to visit another friend in Ontario. The model search had just been intended as a warmup for my show on June 8 anyway, and since I felt fine on stage, I figured that was enough!

Stage shot from the model search

Comparisons at the model search

Oh-so natural (NOT!)

Fast forward a week, and I was on stage again, this time in Red Deer! I had a BEAUTIFUL suit made by Vizion Couture, and I was ready to get on stage! Never before have I felt that confident on stage, and it was a moment I’ll never forget! However, backstage after prejudging, I was informed that the bottoms to my bikini (which had been APPROVED the night before at the athletes’ meeting!) were too small and that I would have to change before the evening show (thank goodness I had the red bikini from last year with me!!!). Canada’s bikini rules require that suits cover at least 50% of the glutes, and even though I knew my suit was pushing it a bit, other girls had much smaller suits (and mine had been approved!)! Anyway, after prejudging, I brought my red bikini to the judges to make sure it was appropriate. They had me change into it and show them to make sure it was OK. But they were STILL unconvinced, and had me bend over while one of the judges pulled the suit over my glutes to see what it would look like with Bikini Bite (a glue that all competitors use to stick their suits to their bodies and prevent any unwanted slipping or shifting!). Finally, they agreed that I could wear it, but I could not have been more humiliated! I spent the afternoon with my former sister-in-law and my nephew, having a great time catching up, but with lingering worry about my suit fiasco! During the morning “prejudging” show (this is actually where almost all of the judging takes place; the night show is mostly there for entertainment and to hand out awards), I was in the second and third groups for comparison. At a show, they call groups of about 5 to stand next to each other for comparisons (each group is referred to as a callout). They generally switch the positions of certain girls (the closer a girl is to the middle of the lineup, the higher she usually places) so they can see who looks best in comparison with the other girls. Since our height class had 11 girls, they did three callouts, and some of us went up with the third group as well. I felt I had done the best I could, even though I wasn’t called with the first group (the first callout is usually the top 5), so I still had high hopes for placing. At the night show, I found out I had received fifth place, which qualified me for Provincials, taking place on June 15 in Edmonton! So with that, I was in competition mode yet again!

The too-small (but beautiful!) blue suit

My backup (also beautiful) red suit

The Top 5

I asked one of the judges after the evening show for some feedback. The judge I managed to talk to (one of the head judges) gave me some advice with my posing, and said that unfortunately, my first suit choice cost me some points. But she actually had me ranked as first place! (The final placing takes the average of all the judges.) Had I not qualified for provincials, I probably would have simply asked for feedback via email, but since I had only one week to prepare for provincials, I figured I needed advice ASAP!

This brings us to last weekend. (My apologies if this post has been kind of confusing. Trying to condense all this excitement into a few paragraphs is quite challenging!) To make it to the PROVINCIAL championships was a HUGE accomplishment for me (especially having placed dead last in my first competition last October), so I was just excited to be there! My mom and my best friend were in the audience for the prejudging show, and I didn’t want to disappoint them! Wearing my red bikini (I had also rush ordered new, even more conservative bottoms for the show!), I went on stage and felt…NERVOUS! I was so angry with myself for feeling nervous on stage after feeling so relaxed and confident the previous weekend that I know my presentation was not all that it could have been (although I felt it couldn’t have been terrible). Since there were only 8 girls in my height class, we were called in one group for comparisons, and the judges immediately moved me closer to the middle of the line! I wasn’t moved around for the rest of the comparisons (although they were moving the girls on the other side around a lot), so I wasn’t quite sure how I’d placed, but I figured the move toward the middle was a good sign. The two girls on the other side of me (toward the ends) were girls who had beaten me before—one girl had placed fourth at the competition in October, and the other girl placed second at the competition the week before!—so as much as it wasn’t about winning for me, it did feel kind of nice to know that I had improved! I was able to hang out with my mom and my friend for most of the afternoon (and enjoy some delicious sweet potato fries!), and after waiting around for a looong time in the evening, it was time to find out the results. The competitor numbers in my category went from 150 to 157, and I was 156. They called the numbers of the top 5 to the front: “150, 151, 152, 153…” and at this point, I was starting to worry (there were already four girls up there!). But then they called ME! I ended up getting fifth place again!!! That means I qualified for the NATIONAL championships, which take place August 17 in Vancouver! (Since I didn’t get third place or higher, I have to compete in nationals this year or requalify next year.) At Nationals, there’s the opportunity to earn an IFBB Pro Card!!!

The Top 5

My lovely medal from Provincials!

I’ve already booked Layne to coach me for Nationals (8 weeks out as of this coming Saturday!), and I’ve asked my suit designer (of the blue suit that I love so much!) to make me larger bottoms, so I’ll be allowed to wear it in August. My hotel is booked, I’m trying to book a spray tan (I’m not going to try to tan myself for Nationals—it’s kind of a big deal, and I don’t want to have to worry about anything!), and I’m going to book my flight soon using my Aeroplan points. Everything is falling into place, and I just have to get my mind focused properly. I think that was one of the reasons I was a bit nervous last weekend. Up until my competition on the 8^th, I had spent the last few weeks convincing myself that I would win the competition and envisioning a win. Although I didn’t win, I think that played a huge role in the confidence I felt on stage. And since I had just a week of positive self-talk before provincials, I wasn’t as “on” as I had been the week before. That’s my theory at least, so I’m working on training my mind for August!

Anyway, sorry that this has been such a monster post, but I’m going to start posting more regularly as I now embark on Operation Pro Card! Wish me luck!!!

12 Weeks Out!

So here we are again! Twelve weeks out from another competition! I actually wasn’t entirely sure I was going to do this competition, for a few reasons:

1. I’ve been really enjoying my “off” (muscle-building) season and eventually do want to compete in figure. But until I have “enough” muscle for it (so I won’t look like a twig on stage next to the other girls), I have a long way to go. I feel I’ve built a lot over these past months, but seeing as I was “too small” for bikini last time, I’m probably just about right now, especially once I start leaning down.
2. As much as I LOVED working with Layne (and I’m so thankful that he got me in such good condition for my first show and BOOSTED my metabolism, unlike many coaches out there!), I cherish the freedom that working on my own gives me. If I want to manipulate my macros a certain way, I can try it out. If I want to try a new pattern of eating (as of last week, I’ve been following an IF split of 14/10. That’s probably information for another blog, but if you’re interested, check out Leangains. I’ve really been enjoying it so far, although I think it’s too soon to see any real changes), I’m free to do so. I like the idea of experimenting with my own body to see what works and how it works for me. But I’m not sure this experimenting is necessarily a wise thing to do when there’s a deadline to be reached.
3. I’m not as concrete with my goals as I should be. What do I want to get out of this? It’s certainly not to win any cheap trophies (although I’ll admit that I really want to place better than I did last time!). Do I want to model? Do I want to train/coach others? Do I want to write? (Yes!!!) Or should I just leave this as a hobby of mine? Without these goals cemented in place, I feel unsure of whether—and how—I should proceed.

However, I have these arguments in favour of competing:

1. I’ve had two posing seminars now with an incredible IFBB pro, Amanda Johnston. Her posing is very elegant and proves that you don’t have to be a bouncy, cheerleadery poser to win a bikini competition (thank God!!! A lot of girls pose way too “sexy” for my taste. Even though girls are in bikinis on stage, they DON’T have to look “easy”—to avoid using a more derogatory word—to place well!!). This made me so much more comfortable continuing on in bikini.
2. I found the PERFECT suit! I won’t show you until the show, but it is incredible! (And definitely feels very “me” than my last suit did)
3. I booked a shoot with THE leading photographer in the fitness industry in Toronto (which also means I’ll be going to Toronto at the end of May). I figured I should give it a shot. If things go well (he’s launched the careers of many fitness models), we’ll see where it takes me. If nothing comes out of it besides a cartload of great pictures, I’m OK with that too, but I’ll know I’ve tried my best! And if I’m already going to be in great shape in June, why not compete in Red Deer on the 8th and Calgary on the 29th?

These were the arguments going on in my head. In the end, my reasons for not doing a show were (and are) just excuses. There are tons of clichéd sayings like “A man who fully considers all angles before taking a step will forever be standing on one foot” or “An imperfect plan executed today is better than a perfect plan executed tomorrow,” which definitely make a valid point. Just go for it, don’t quit, and figure out the details along the way. It’s a heck of a lot better than standing around and in three months, have nothing to show for it!

So there we have it! Twelve weeks out from the Southern Alberta Bodybuilding Championships, and I’m excited! I don’t have as much to lose this time, weight-wise (I weigh less than I did when I started prepping last time, and I’m not going to get down to 102 lb like last time. I’m thinking around 105-110 will be good, but I’ll have to see what I look like at that point), so it is a LITTLE more relaxed. Plus, since I’m doing my own diet, I’m allowing myself some flexibility as well. Wish me luck, and hold me accountable! I’ll be posting progress pictures as I go along as well!

Wishing all of my beautiful readers good health as well! There are only three months until summer, in case anyone feels motivated to join me in getting shredded!

I Do!

I promise.

With those two words, I began what I call my fitness journey. I considered myself fit before last summer, but when I made the decision to follow my coach’s direction, fitness took on a whole other dimension. I learned so much about nutrition, training, and the mental aspect of changing one’s body. Many people saw this as incredible or (perhaps masochistic) self-control. For me, it was as simple as promising to myself and my coach that I would just do it. I would stick to the course, and we would see where it took me. I took those words “I promise” seriously, and the commitment I made was no different than the commitment I made to my husband on our wedding day. I would never cheat on him, so why would I cheat on my diet?

Much more important than willpower is the ability to commit for the long haul. I think for anyone struggling to change their body (by losing weight or changing their body composition), the most important thing is to realize there is no quick fix or overnight solution. This makes it all the more important to choose a “diet” (I use the term to mean a more permanent way of eating and not necessarily a way of eating for a few days, weeks, or months) that fits in with your lifestyle. Pretty much any diet will work, under the condition that a person sticks to it! For many people, simply making healthier food choices (eating clean) is something they’re able to stick to. For others, IF (Intermittent Fasting—in this diet, you eat nothing most of the day and take in the majority, if not all, of your calories in the span of a few hours) is easiest to fit into their schedule. Personally, I’m a fan of IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros—I count grams of proteins, carbs, and fats per day and make sure to hit my targets. The sources of these macronutrients are not of utmost importance, as long as I also hit my daily fibre goals). I find that IIFYM allows me to achieve my athletic goals without making me feel restricted. I can eat anything I want—no food is “bad”—but I have to make sure I work it into my macros (so a muffin for breakfast, a piece of pizza for lunch, and a Snickers bar in the afternoon would NOT fit into a day for me, but I could have one of these things each day if I so desired).

Anyway (I didn’t want to make this post about me and how I eat), the take-home message is this: Choose a “diet” that you can live with and fit into your lifestyle forever because changing your body isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon. It’s a long process, so you might as well enjoy it! If there are foods you “can’t live without,” find a plan that allows you to incorporate them into your diet without sabotaging your goals, or simply learn to give them up. Whatever it is, it’s just food! There’s so much more to life than that! Don’t let the taste of something have so much control over you! (Healthy foods taste delicious anyway and make you feel much better than any junk!) Of course, balance is an important part of life, but especially in the beginning, forming healthy habits is the most important thing.

I like to use the analogy of a mountain to describe the journey. Sure, you might stumble and fall down, and some sections will be more difficult than others, but know that you will eventually get there. Trust in the process, and then simply do it. If you do stumble, don’t scrap your plan and tumble back down to the bottom. Keep on climbing, and soon, you’ll realize it wasn’t as hard as you made it out to be in your mind! The first step is always the hardest (be it at the start of a new way of eating or out the door to the gym), but you won’t regret it!

I’ll be posting more on the mental aspect of transforming one’s body in the future, but today, I just wanted to hammer home the importance of commitment. It’s so important to commit to a healthy lifestyle because you’re worth it! As frustrating as it can be to see improvements happen at a snail’s pace, if you stick to the course and keep your promise to yourself, the end result will be so rewarding!

Update!

So, here we are again! It’s a new year, and once again, I’m gearing up for another pair of competitions! The first one is the Northern Alberta Bodybuilding Championships on June 1, and the second one is another WBFF show in Calgary on June 29. The first show qualifies the top 5 for the provincial championships on June 15, so there’s a potential of a third show that month! (But I’m not counting my chickens before they hatch!)

This is what’s been going on with me since my last update:

• I’m comfortably in my “off” season. My coaching with Layne has ended (although I’ll likely work with him again once my real contest prep begins at 12 weeks out), and I feel like I’ve put on some decent muscle mass.
• I went to Germany and, in addition to my new muscle mass, also put on a bit of fat mass as well (but nothing my contest prep can’t handle!).
• I made it to the finals for the Status Cover Model Search! Thanks for everyone who voted for me during November, I had enough votes that the editors were able to choose me to advance! (Even though I didn’t place in the Top 5 that month)
• I had my first re-feed on Friday, and I plan on continuing to use those at least until my contest prep begins. Basically, a re-feed is a carb load. This is generally done alongside with a drastic increase in overall calories (double your average daily calories) and a reduction of fats (as little as possible). For my first re-feed, I just adjusted my macronutrient intake to include more carbs and less fat, but this week, I might adjust my overall caloric intake as well (just a little). There is a science behind re-feeds (just google “re-feed” or “leptin”), but eating that much does take some getting used to!

Additionally, I had some blood taken on Saturday, so I could get an idea of where my health is at. The results were (as I expected) all normal! I usually get my bloodwork done once a year just to make sure everything is where it should be—health trumps everything else!

Yesterday, I had my much-anticipated body composition test at the university. I got hydrostatically weighed! Basically, I sat on a chair suspended from the ceiling, immersed in a big tub (thankfully, the water was nice and warm!) with a weight belt on my lap, and exhaled all the air in my lungs! First, they measured my lung capacity by having me take a deep breath and then exhale all the air in my lungs three times (so they could get an accurate reading—I was very consistent!) and then moved me into the tub. The first time I was dunked (they lowered me, sitting on the chair, into the tub), I kind of panicked (I think my mistake was also closing my eyes—hello, claustrophobia! No light and no air?! Plus, maybe I wasn’t sure I could trust the experimenter yet?), but after one practice round, I was ready! We did six readings (so getting dunked, exhaling every bit of air, and then waiting 5 seconds to get raised out of the tub again). They do up to 10, but since I was exactly the same every time, they were confident that the results were accurate. Hydrostatic weighing is one of the most exact measurements of body fat, and I really wanted to know exactly how much fat is on my body and how much is lean body mass (or “fat-free mass”! I figure this will be especially useful during contest prep, so I’ll know how much fat I should lose to be within the 10-15% that bikini competitors usually have.

Anyway, after I got changed, I got my results: 13.8% body fat! That was much lower than I had been expecting, especially since I feel much “fluffier” now than I did a few months ago! It also made me wonder how low my body fat was in October, since I weighed more than 10 pounds less than I do now (I assume I’ve put on some muscle since then, but still!). I want to get my body fat measured again in three months and then again in June. I’m interested to see how my body composition changes!

I’m looking forward to seeing the package I bring to the stage this time around! With some new muscle mass (and hopefully, since I have less body fat to lose this time, I’ll be able to keep most of it), my body will look different, and I feel I learned a lot from last time. I’ll pay more attention to the “beauty” side of competing (I’ll get spray tanned and get my hair and makeup professionally done—one of the criticisms from last time was that my lashes were too big!), and I’ll get more help with my posing. I think I’ll also compete in the Diva Fitness Model category for the WBFF show (in addition to the Diva Bikini Model category), so that will be a whole new realm in itself!

I’m attaching a blog post I posted on my Bodyspace. Bodyspace is an awesome place to track your progress and find inspiration from others. If anyone is looking for a workout program for the new year, Bodybuilding.com has TONS of FREE (!!) programs aimed at a variety of goals (sorry if I sound like a bad infomercial, but it’s really a fantastic resource!). They also have a 12-week transformation challenge (you can enter until January 31!) with a huge grand prize! Definitely worth checking out!

I hope you’re all enjoying a wonderful start to 2013! It’s going to be the best year yet, I can feel it!

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!