The Day of Many Firsts....

The Big Show is done.  Saturday was a day that is still replaying in my head.  The nervousness before going on stage, the shaking legs, the quivering lips while trying to smile, the lubed body and taped down suit, peeing through a cup (so you don't wreck your spray tan), getting spray tanned naked!!!, the pretty make up, dolled up hair and the BLING!!  It was a long day that went by very fast.

The event on Saturday was the largest to date for the NPC North Star Event.  I had 12 girls in my Figure Masters 40+ group, and 10 in the Figure Class D group.  Brittani had 12 in her Figure Class C group and 5 in her Physique Class B.  The different class letters represent height classes.  Sometimes, due to number of participants, they can change which class you will be put in.  This happened to Brittani.  Based on her height, she should've competed in Physique Class A(under 5'4"), but they moved her up to even out the two classes. I placed 4th in both my classes, Brittani placed 5th in her Physique class.

I was nervous all day..from the time we work up, 4:20am, until we walked off the stage one last time, I kept having to do my etch-a-sketch shake down to keep my body relaxed.  I wanted to make sure I went out there and performed how I had been practicing...relaxed, strong, confident...but when you walk across the stage and into the little box and it's only you in front of 10 judges...it is definitely a different feeling.  I remembered what Brittani and Christine told me..look at the judges, don't look out at the crowd.  Smile. Pretend you are practicing at home and go through your quarter turns and model poses looking relaxed.  Flare your legs, grip your hamstrings, spread your lats, relax but pop your shoulders...and...I feel I did it!
In my first blog post I stated that I wanted to go through this journey giving it everything I had, no regrets, no complaints, no cheating, being true to me and most of all to have FUN.  I can honestly say I accomplished all of that.  There is nothing I would change about the process.  I followed the nutrition guidelines to a "T"...didn't skip a weight training session...followed Christine's weekly suggestions, cut down on my cardio...and Practiced!!!
 This was all new to me.  Before I started, I really didn't think I could do it...but as time progressed and I started to see the changes, I began to believe that what I was doing was working.  My daily motivation was fueled by seeing, feeling and knowing that all my daily Fitness Pal logging, cutting down on cardio, weight training and practicing was paying off.  It was worth my time and effort to continue the journey (I call that a good ROI-Return On Investment!!).  The hard work was worth the end result...I am proud of myself...that is hard for me to say, but, I'm making myself acknowledge it.

I set daily, weekly, monthly and "by show time" goals...yes, it was hard at times.  I encountered many challenges.  I travelled to Denmark for my work and had to plan my nutrition, cardio and strength training sessions accordingly.  I travel a lot with my job, and had to make sure that even after a LONG day, I still had my training sessions on my schedule.  I packed my food and water every morning.  I planned ahead and made sure I was set up to succeed.
 My message to anyone is that if I can do it...so can YOU!  It's like any decision you make in your life...to get married, have children, go on a vacation, to work out at night, or, even a simple date night..you PLAN, PREPARE and make sure you know what you need to do to make it successful.

Don't look at the end of the journey and make the decision...divide it out over a course of a day, week, month...even hours...my "real job" time was challenging, especially when I had to make sure I ate "my food" when doing programs in clinics...the food you love will always be there, it's not going to disappear if you don't have it today (that's what I would say to myself), or, I used the reverse psychology method and would tell myself that I had already ate it and was so full I couldn't take another bite!!
Now, is the off season.  I've been asked if I plan on competing again.  There are a couple shows in the Spring (Duluth, Fargo and Minneapolis)...I will be at one of them for sure...keep following me on my blog to see which one it is :)

Thank you for all your support for my first show.  Your feedback was and is very motivating to me...more than I think you realize.  Hearing your encouraging words, sharing that it made you laugh while you read it, or, that it explained/clarified some of your questions about my process, was so helpful to ME!  I look forward to sharing many more "firsts" with you...

Week 1 Versus Week 12

My Boys...

Today, we venture off to Eagan.  Making our final food preps and packing all our bling!
Did I sleep last night...no!  Between getting up to pee at least 5 times and not being able to turn off my brain...it was a long night.
The best way to wake up (besides Folgers in your cup- actually, caribou in mine:)...is to a lovely bouquet of flowers and a card waiting for you, from your husband...Yep, that's how my day started :).

Such encouraging and sweet words that man can write...he has been so supportive throughout the last 12 weeks.  He's been my weight lifting buddy...my grocery guy...my running errands man and my best friend.  Always asking, what can I do for you this week?  What do you and Brittani need help with?  I'm going to the grocery story, do you need more protein??
He's watched me practice my posing, and even though he always gives me positive feedback, he's also been honest to tell me if I need to adjust anything.  He doesn't know exactly what to look at, or how something should actually look, but when I tell him what to evaluate for me, he has been honest to say what I need to hear...the truth.
He has kept the food he likes to eat (chocolate, cookies, doughnuts and gooey desserts) out of our view...he will bring them to the basement so we didn't have to look at them.  He will ask "Can I have some of that fish, or do you and Brittani need it?"
I couldn't have come this far without his support and encouragement.  On the weeks where I felt that I was not progressing,  was frustrated with my progress,~he was there to tell me to keep at it, keep going, your doing great..you got this!!
The support from him and my boys has made this journey bearable.  I am a lucky girl!  I know that know matter how tomorrow ends up, I am coming home to a house that will still be the same...full of love, support, laughter and good food :)

Who's counting??

I wake up everymorning, feeling like P-Diddy...no, not really...I wake up every morning thinking...what day is it?  How many days til the show?  What can I have for breakfast today?
This morning breakfast consisted of sweet potato, egg whites and asparagus...and of course, black coffee :).  Today and tomorrow are days of real prep...certain foods at certain times...no more oatmeal or added fats (That means Peanut Butter!!)...decrease in water (thank goodness-I was peeing it out as fast as it was coming in the last couple days!).  Practice, Practice, Practice!

We had our last appointment with Christine yesterday-final day to have her fine tune our poses-words of encouragement-review of nutrition guidelines for the next couple days and prepare us mentally for our stage performance.  She will have another "look" at us on Friday and Saturday, but the prep now involves having the body rest and following the final nutrition roadmap.
 As I drove to the appointment, I thought back to how I felt the going to the first one with her...nervous, unsure, anxious, tired from not sleeping the night before...but on yesterday's drive, I was excited to show her (and Brittani) how hard I have been working on making my poses look relaxed and natural, show her my confidence in knowing that what I've done up to this point has been the correct path to bring me this far. I'm still fine tuning the "relaxation" part~ relax the hands, relax the shoulders-but still POP the deltoid, spread the lats and flare the quads... 
A good friend of mine is a model and I asked her what she thinks about when she's in front of the camera to look so calm and relaxed (and beautiful!)...her reply is advice that I am using, she said "You need to tell yourself that you DESERVE to be up there! You've worked hard, you look great, you need to keep telling yourself that you DESERVE this!"

 Two Days from today is the show..but, who's counting?  I am!! 

Go! Pose! Win!

Still prepping...getting more nervous, and excited!  Yes, excited!  I have to keep telling myself that this is gonna be FUN!  You get to dress up in sparkly clothes--I mean, sliver of sparkly cloth--wear 5in heels, have someone spray tan your WHOLE body, do your make up and fix your hair!  How FUN is THAT!!??
Yep, I'm psyching myself up.  Practicing inside and outside my head everyday.  I wake up in the middle of the night to pee at least 3x and every time I envision myself walking out on stage (as I walk to the bathroom), going through my quarter turns (as I'm evacuating), and then walking back to my "place" on stage (as I walk back to bed)!  Call me crazy, but, I am using EVERY opportunity I can to practice ;)

Teaching my last ZUMBA class last night was surreal- I kept thinking, "it's getting so close, this is the week!"...I was pretty low on energy, (no carbs on board), but seeing all the smiling faces and hearing the whoop-whoops just reminded me of how lucky I am to be surrounded by such a wonderful group of women!  The energy at the studio is something I've never experienced in my 24+ years of teaching classes...such a buzz last night...two members/friends made a sign with body doubles of Brittani and I and members are writing encouraging words on it.  GO! POSE! WIN! Another member/friend is making baked goodies for Brittani and me (we sent her our recipes of choice :).  The hugs, cards and well wishes I am receiving is amazing!
I've tried to keep quiet about most of this journey, sharing bits and pieces to those that inquire, writing this blog to give some insight to what goes through my head and what I've learned along the way.  But now I feel that the more I talk about it, the more real it becomes.  I can now, finally, see myself going through with it.  Sometimes, I may share too much??? yes? no?...my TRX class learned last night about how we have to prep the skin for the spray tan session (shaving and exfoliating best practices were shared! :).
Yes, I'm nervous....Yes, I'm scared...Yes, I'm excited...not only for me, but for Brittani too...I LOVE watching her compete and I am now practicing how to have a back stage quiet voice when I cheer for her.  I am a LOUD and PROUD mama! She is and always will be my #1 (even though "A" is the second letter in my name and the first letter of the alphabet - those that were in our circuit class last week know what I'm talkin' about ;0). I'm ready to G0! POSE! and WIN!!

Peak Week...Bring it!

Today is our cleanse.  Fish. Veggies. Water. The end...
It's a good thing that Brittani and I are doing this together.  We just look at each other and know what we are thinking...Food!
I've kept myself busy today, which has helped keep my mind off of everything I'd like to be eating.  When I have sat down, I remind myself that we are doing this for a reason.  We are in the "peak week"..where we get to really see what the body will do and to prepare it for the event.  Deplete the muscle bellies...then fill them up!  
I love talking to my son, Tanner, about what we are doing each week.  He is so encouraging. My conversations with him make me want to continue to do my best...mainly, so he wont be totally embarrassed to see his mom on stage with her sliver of sparkly material and hooker shoes on :).

Tomorrow is my last night of teaching classes. Feels strange to think I will be at the studio, not out of town for work, and will not be teaching my normal schedule.  If I'm teaching, or not, I look forward to the time with my studio family.  They are such positive, motivating and supportive people...and their energy is spectacular!  How can you not want to be surrounded by such goodness??
  This journey has almost reached it's final destination.  Buckle up people, I'm looking forward to a smooth landing!!

Have I Told You....

We are now one week away from the "Show".  It's going to be quite an interesting week!  I plan on blogging daily...so, be prepared for...well, anything!

Since Wednesday, I have been carb loading, up to 350g per day. ie: lots of oatmeal, brown rice pasta, sweet potatoes and rice cakes!  I was given the clearance to up my intensity for a couple days when I teach, which has resulted in quite a few sweat puddles in classes the last couple days (sorry if I've christened you with my droplets, ladies :).  Tomorrow is our cleanse...day of vegies, fish and water.  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday is lower carbs days for me.  Brittani is used to this type of schedule-it will be new for me.
The last 12 weeks has opened my eyes to see first hand how every body is different.  Not only in the obvious, (physical appearance), but rather in how it "works".  My nutrition guidelines have been so different compared to Brittani - almost to a point where I feel it is not fair.  It's not fair for her to have to watch me eat large amounts of food, while she is so regimented in her day to day requirements.  It's not fair to her that she has to work so hard with additional cardio sessions, while I had to scale back.  I have watched her pull herself up and keep fighting over and over again.  Her determination to stick to it is something I wish others could see.  I don't think I could've done it if I was in her shoes.  She is living proof that you don't let anything stand in your way of finishing what you started.  Have I told you that I love my little girl?? :0)

So, now we prepare.  My suit is ready to go. I have my bling-bling to make me really sparkle when I'm under the bright lights.  I'm doing my mental imagery daily~practicing my posing~completing my last chance workouts~ still following my master's plan (aka Christine), and have accepted that everything I've done up to this point is going to  determine how this journey ends.

I'm looking forward to being on the other side...I've been the nervous lady in the crowd fidgeting waiting for her daughter to take the stage...the LOUD lady that is right behind the judges yelling "Go Britt!!!  NICE!  Make it big!"...the HYPER lady that is running around doing what she can to help her daughter get through her day.  I will always be that lady, but this time, I will be on the other side of the curtain...with my daughter...Have I told you... that I love my little girl?