Make Due With What You Have...

Over the Labour day long weekend, I went camping to enjoy what was left of summer by being in the wilderness.... Six and  half weeks out from competition does not give me much wiggle room with my diet. Being well aware of my strict meal plan I went fully prepared (or so I thought) and had the best intentions of sticking to my diet. Upon arriving at our site, my boyfriend and I proceeded to set up our tents and then relaxed by the campfire.  When we finally decided to turn in for the night, we made absolutely certain that we "bear proofed" our site. Just as we were dozing off we heard the unmistakable sound of ruffling plastic. And then the pop of an oatmeal bag... Proceeding that, came the rattling of a protein shaker. And then came the heavy breath of a snorting bear enjoying my breakfast full of oats, protein powder, multivitamins and sugar free maple syrup. Who would have thought that bears like whey protein?! As unwilling as I am to share my meals with anyone, a bear is my one and only exception. I love my breakfast but I like my life more. So we did nothing. In the morning we did damage control of our campsite as I tried to stay calm and collected. Luckily there was a general store around that sold quick oats. As for my protein, well it was consumed in the form of numerous boiled egg whites. The moral of the story.... Expect the unexpected (or in my case, expect that the park rangers of a camp ground really aren't lying when they say "active bear on site"). Be willing to deal with adversity and go with the flow because sometimes, a hungry bear just might catch you off guard.

Keep training hard!

Setbacks

 After years of secretly wanting to compete but never really having the courage to go for it, I finally decided to train hard for figure category. So I went in with the highest expectations of myself not fully understanding or compensating for any set backs that may creep up along the way. For instance, having to go for surgery (albeit minor), it was still surgery that I had to recover from. That took a toll mainly with my diet because I could not eat for several hours before hand and very little following surgery. Secondly, overcoming the dreaded sinus flu that slyly seems to lurk in every gym corner was ultimately unavoidable for me. This one was much more difficult to get over. When the body is desperately trying to supply energy for the workout as well as heal itself, my training sessions resulted in a sloppy, sluggish ordeal.  Thirdly, migraines.  Nothing is worse when you're in the middle of a set and you get the awful aura that comes along with a pounding headache.  It inhibits concentration, coordination, speech and vision. Workouts are quite difficult when you cannot see or think properly. With all of these obstacles in my way, only one option occurred to me.... Keep plugging away. Do not let a few bad days determine the outcome of your goals. When you fall down, pick yourself up and keep going because you're the only person who can drag your butt back to the top.  When you have bad days you best be willing to embrace the unavoidable because it is not always smooth sailing (as we would prefer).  Make the best of what you can, stay positive and smile.  

"The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances." -Aristotle 

My fitness journey

THURSDAY, 30 JUNE 2011

16 weeks out     My training and diet have progressively gotten more intense. I cannot I say that I fully understood the hard work and dedication that these figure athletes put in day in and day out. I would be lying if I said this was easy because it affects everything around me; relationships, work, family and mostly me, the competitor.     There are many instances where I want to give up, directly in the middle of a set. Just drop the weight and walk away because that IS what’s easier. But I am not a quitter and failure is not an option for me. I remind myself why I committed to competing and that allows me to stay focused. I love the feeling of accomplishment I get when I start to see my body transform. I love the sense of pride I get upon completing a two hour leg day; utter satisfaction.  I am going to push through every burn, every cramp, and embrace all challenges.  There are certain individuals who secretly hope I fail because I am doing what they cannot do themselves. This is all the more reason for me to prevail. For anyone who has ever said, “she can’t do it, she’s not strong enough,” I embrace that challenge and welcome any other criticism that comes my way. I will not accept defeat until I know deep down that I have trained my absolute hardest and to my maximum potential.

So I prepare for yet another day of training. 

No going back

Today I ordered my suit for my competition and it was so exciting! I can feel October 22nd just looming around the corner and I can't help but feel nervous, excited, scared and proud all at the same time. This is something I have always wanted to do but never thought I would actually go through with. Purchasing my bikini today made me realize that this is going to be worth every penny, every ounce of sweat, and every piece of broccoli grudgingly eaten because I am giving my all. I am working hard every minute of every day and when I get on stage I want to know that I did everything in my power to be my ultimate best. Twelve weeks out from competition, and everything is slowly starting to fall into place. From my quad sweep taking shape to my nutrition remaining (mostly) balanced. At this point, there's no time for bullshit, or for half ass efforts. The only thing to do is to stay focused and keep plugging away. Enjoy this journey and embrace everything that comes with it. 


 ~Energy and persistence conquer all things. -Benjamin Franklin