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!

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!