8 Weeks Out ~ Who am I Competing With?

I didn't have time to post an update last week for 9 weeks out from the big day as my schedule has still been super duper crazy. But I have a quick moment right now to give an update before hitting the pillows to start my Monday off really early.

The past two weeks have been filled with so much craziness that I am so surprised that I stayed a float. I am not sure how I have managed to do everything over the past 7 weeks but I have and I am proud of me for being able to stick to it all. Even on those days when I want to say, "No just go home nobody will know that you didn't do that cardio session." But I will know in the back of my mind that I gave up on that and it wouldn't sit right with me. So even though my body isn't tired but my mind is tired, I can't bring myself to say NO and give up.

Rachel, my trainer, has increased my cardio sessions from 30 minutes to 45 minutes and that is a struggle. Who would have thought that one thing that got me started on this journey to a new me would be the one thing I dislike the most. I started my days on the cardio equipment 4 years ago because I had no idea what I was doing and I would spend a good hour on them. Now I hate spending 45 minutes on them and I have to do half on one machine and half on another machine to keep myself going. I wish the weather would cooperate here in Montana so that I could maybe move my cardio outside instead and enjoy the fresh air with the dog/kids. But unfortunately Montana weather is bipolar and there is no such luck this time of year.

Anyways, my nutrition has stayed the same and eating the same foods over and over again for the past few weeks is tough, but hot sauce and dijon mustard have become my new best friends and I have to remind myself that this is all worth it in the end. The prize that I am putting all this hard work in for is near and I can't let the boring same foods get me down. Also, let me tell you what, to be eating 1,800 calories a day and maintaining the schedule I have is a blessing. If I had to eat much less than that I think I would die because I know my body would just give out on me and be like, "Hell no we can't move we are done.".

The change week to week in my body and my posing has been huge and I am absolutely falling in love with this challenge. When I give people all of the details they ask, "Why are you doing this?" or "Is this healthy to do?" and you know what I am doing this for me and to prove I can do it. Is it healthy, it definitely can take a toll on the body and I couldn't see myself doing it more than once a twice a year that is for sure. The body is a hidden treasure to maintain and keep and love and the amount of stress it can undergo during this time is completely unbelievable and amazing. During this challenge I have fallen in love with not just my physical transformation, but the science behind it all. There are so many things that go into transforming the body in an all natural and healthy way. I am not about to pump my body full of steroids or other drugs to get the muscles that I would I love to have. Nope not one bit. I am all about fueling my body the right way and doing it all natural.

So, why am I doing this? Because I want to challenge myself. I want to be competitive with myself and push myself to the limit. Strain every ounce of my potential everyday on that gym floor until it cries for mercy. I want to prove to myself that I have not only accomplished a brand new lifestyle over the last 4 years, but that I have fought long and hard for the love in myself that I have now. That I can get on that stage and I am not competing with anyone else. I am being compared to others but I am only competing with me.

 

As I head into these next 8 weeks, I am ready. My work schedule will be a little lighter. The glasses are vanishing on Friday the 24th as I go in for LASIK. Go find and buy myself some fake boobs for my suit (oh the joys of weight loss and going from a DD to an A cup). I have to schedule my tan for the show. Upcoming hair appointment. Maintaining my 6 days a week in the gym, 2 posing practices a week. Oh and of course the most important is being a wife and a mother. My days will still be full every minute of every day, but it will be worth every ounce of sweat I leave on that floor.

Who am I doing this for? Me and only me as I am only competing with myself!!!!

10 Weeks Out......

These past couple of weeks my schedule has been crazy. It is definitely a true test to determination when the days are starting at 3 or 4 in the morning and going until 8 or 10 that night. To be able function and think straight like that for 5 days a week definitely takes a toll on the mind and the body. By the end of the week I am exhausted and all I can focus on is when my head gets to hit the pillow at the end of the day and sleep.

However, exciting changes have happened. I sat down with my trainer, Rachel, and got things planned out for the big day. I am a planner so I needed to have things checked off the list and ready. So after talking with her, I got my NPC (National Physique Committee) Card so that I could register for the event.

I had goosebumps when I was signing up for both. All I could think is, "Is this really where I am today?" Never in a million years would I have seen myself being at this very spot today. Within no time I had signed up for NPC, registered for the event, hair/makeup scheduled, nails scheduled, and brazilians waxes scheduled. There is of course more to do but most of that just has to wait and I can handle that.

Even with the long and crazy days I have been successful at keeping my nutrition on track with my plan and my gym time in regardless of when it is. I am so thankful for those that are willing to hit the gym with me whether it is early in the morning or late at night. They help keep me accountable so I make sure I still get it done. There is no turning back and I'm not a quitter. However, many days, those second helpings of Spark really come in handy to keep me functioning.

My body is reacting to the change in nutrition and workout regimen exactly how Rachel expected it to. That made me feel really good about it all. I have noticed the changes in my body but to be reassured that I am doing everything right and it is working made me feel even better about the whole thing. It took a little bit for my body to adjust to everything but it has caught up to me now. I

I also decided it was time to stick that suit back on! No more posing practice in shorts and a bra. I needed to feel more and really be able to see how my body was looking when I'm posing. It is so much easier to see what I need to work on and the angles that body can work with. I have figured out which side is my good side so I need to work with that and nail it. I am still struggling with posing and oh my goodness it isn't easy. When watching the competition you would think it is just standing on stage and flexing but there is so much more to it. The perfect twist in your body, perfect movement, sass, and everything else that goes with it. Posing itself is a workout and my lower back and hips always feel it afterwards. Thank you Tiffany and Dixie for all of the encouragement and pointers so far. I appreciate it so much!

For me, I know I have the nutrition and training down so I need to focus on my posing a lot more. I am at the gym so much that I can make a quick sneak to the room to pose. I carry my heels with me all of the time so I have no excuses. 

Over the course of the last few weeks it is clear that the athlete that was there before in high school is back. I am competitive and always have been. I might not have been the most talented basketball or volleyball player in high school but I was always competitive and wouldn't give up. That is the same mindset I have here. I will not give up, I will put all 110% that I have in it, and I will shine on that stage no matter what!

Here is to the next 10 weeks of fighting through every minute of every day to give my 110% to being the best me on that stage!

Team TNT all the way