Hey Friends! I am back at it again. I seems like forever ago that I was blogging, prepping, and really in the groove of things. After my last national show ended I did not follow my plans and sort of just did me. I was feeling down, tired, and honestly over being stressed about food, nutrition, competing and more. This first blog I was wanting to just kinda share how I am feeling, my thoughts, and my future plans for the year!
Thoughts:
The other day I was feeling super optimistic and philosophical. Who else loves those days where you wake up and it feels like everything you do and all your thoughts have a reason and purpose? Well I literally strive for those days and it seems less and less that I have been having them lately. I put the blame mainly on winter but I know that it isn’t just mother natures fault. I guess this is where prep and finding something I love to do comes into play. I know what I need to do to be happy and I know that it takes determination and commitment to meet these goals. I have just noticed that lately it has been harder to stay focuses and positive.
Yes, my last show did not go as planned, but I am aware of how far I came mentally and physically since the beginning of last year. Things have changed so much for me but it still feels like I have so far to go until I reach where I want to be. Learning that life isn’t a sprint but a marathon is definitely a hard task but I have found solace in doing so. Life is becoming
less stressful and confusing and that path everyone talks about finding is starting to appear.
I cant stress enough that finding what you love to do isn’t always just going to slap you in the face. It starts as a baby seed that plants itself in your mind. Over time this seed takes root and starts to wrap itself inside your head. This is when you need to make a life changing decision. Do you follow what you can’t stop wondering and thinking about, or do you push it to the side and tell yourself that it isn’t important enough to pursue.
Yes, I have a fall back if things don’t work out the way I have it planned out in my head, but did I let the fear of failure tell me no anymore? NO.
Simply stated, JUST DO IT. Follow your passion.
Plans:
This has been the topic of battle that has been fighting inside of my head for the past few months now. After I finished my show in Miami I was SUPER happy to get back home to celebrate the Holidays with family and friends. I’m not going to lie and tell you that returning to a normal life and schedule was easy. I went from being extremely strict and exhausted to having free reign. I was supposed to follow a reverse diet but I can tell you that after a couple weeks that did not happen. My plan was to increase until I reached my desired weight of 124 and then maintain until now. Besides the holiday cravings I did pretty well for the first month. It was not until the New Years that my plans got derailed. I started eating anything I wanted, drinking after work, and going out on the nights that I had off. This binge that I experienced was fun and needed almost but it was extremely mentally draining for me. I thought that returning to my pre-prep lifestyle would maybe fill that void I was feeling but instead it made me feel worse.
I realized that I really needed to just get back in check so I could think about where I was planning on going this year because the pre-prep partying was not working for me anymore. I ended up gaining 7 lbs last month. I feel thicker and healthier now than ever but I know that I went a little overboard with my weight gain(+14lbs since Nov 20th). Now that I am in my first week back in prep I am feeling back in control and optimistic about how this year might go which leads me to what I have planned for the year.
After experiencing a national show and talking to multiple judges afterwards I learned a few things about myself and about the politics of competing in a huge show. I now feel slightly more prepared for my next season and I am hoping that the package I bring ends up being enough to earn my Pro card.
What is next?
Well I am actually looking into hiring a coach this time around. Although I am a couple weeks into my prep, I am still 15 weeks out from my national show in Chicago. I still have to talk to my new coach to see her view on things, but my plan is to compete 2 times before my national show. We shall see if things end up changing! My plan is to place top 5 in a couple 
more nationally qualifying shows before competing on a national stage again.
I looked up teams to join because, honestly, not being on a team or having a full time coach for support just sucks! Last year I had a posing and peak week coach which helped tons, THANKS STEPH, but the whole process took a toll on me. I realized that I needed someone that would be there for me through the high and low days, giving me reassurance that I am doing what I need to be doing to see the optimum results. I am open to new training styles, techniques, ideas, and super excited to learn. I am also excited to see how my physique can change in 4 short months!
These last two weeks have been insane for me. If you have ever tried a diet or have been on a prep, you know what I am saying! Over the last couple months my diet was inconsistent with tons of added sugar and fat. I am finally over the hump and my energy levels are rising and my mood is stabilizing! Sugar really is an addiction and I am glad to finally have it rid from my system!
Physique Update
Measurements: 2.20.17
- Height: 5’3
- Weight: 128
- Arm (biceps): 10.25 in
- Chest: 33 in
- Bust: 34.5in
- Waist: 27.5 in
- Hips: 31.5 in
- Booty: 36 in
- Thighs: 22 in
- Calves: 14.5 in
Macros:
- Calories: 1720
- Carbs: 180g
- Protein: 155g
- Fats: 40g
There is not much to say about my macros right now besides I am trying to keep them as high as possible through this prep! I want to keep my carbs high this time around!
Training regimen (Thus Far)
So after stepping back and looking at myself (and talking to multiple coaches and judges) I came up with a list of things that I needed to work on during my short post season. The reason why I decided to compete so quickly this time was mainly because I already had my muscle mass I needed. This time around I saw that I needed to focus on conditioning more than anything.
I needed to shrink some things so I have been lifting lighter and less frequently, which for me sucks because I LOVE lifting. The only areas that I have been focusing on growing have been my delts, specifically my lateral delts, and my glutes, specifically my gluteus medius.
The past month and a half, I have been doing two 30 minute full body cardio HITT circuits, one full body lifting circuit, legs (glute and ham focused), back and then shoulders each week. Some weeks I will combine back and shoulders as an upper body day but I make sure to add in shoulders somewhere else in the week to work them more.
So far I have seen changes in my delts and in my glutes! I have specifically been training my legs to where I try to never do quad dominant exercises. I haven’t been adding in extra cardio until the past week so overall I am at 80 minutes on cardio/ week with 60of it being from my HITT cardio class.
When it comes to hiring a coach I am most excited about the training solutions and ideas she will have for me. I have a specific training style and I know that sometimes my views might get in the way of my progression!
Things to do:
- Get my coach situation up and running.
- Stay on track with my macros and nutrition plan.
- Pick a color for my suit.
- Buy new heels.
- PRACTICE posing. oh lord <<< I need it.
- Stay positive.
This prep I am planning on doing updates every 2 weeks or so. Wish me luck. Trying to work on my accountability here. I will keep you all updated on how things progress! Until next time!
