Consistency is Key

   How many times have you set a goal and not achieved it, or got there then ended up falling off the wagon? Do you then stop and ask yourself why? Were you being consistent in taking the steps to get there and also after you made it there? I'm going to bet the answer is no.

   What keeps you from reaching or maintaining your goal? Is it because it's too hard? Of course it's going to be hard! That's the fun in getting there. If it's something that is truely unattainable then start with a smaller goal and create a new one each time you reach it. Your journey should be a marathon not a sprint. Remember, slow and steady wins the race. Maybe you reached your goal and no longer think you need to work at it. Wrong! Once you get there the very last thing you want to do is go back to your old lifestyle. Just as before,  that will set you up for failure. This is a big downfall for people who follow fad diets(which I'm sure I'll be writing about either here or my personal blog.) Yes, you can eat a bit more, but you need to stick with your maintenance calories otherwise all your hard work will quickly fade away.

   A great tool to use to help you stay true to yourself and your goals is to use a calorie counter app on your phone. When I first started getting serious about my lifestyle change I used the My Fitness Pal app. I always go in and set the numbers myself to my personal goals. With this app, you log EVERYTHING you eat so it really makes you think twice about eating that piece of candy or second helping at dinner. There are quite a few other apps you can use so I highly suggest to give them a try!

  My personal goal at the moment? Trying to put on some more muscle for the competition season next year. I'm currently eating in a caloric surplus and lifting heavier than I ever have. If I eat too little, I won't put on a little extra "fluff" to work with, and may not be able to lift quite as heavy. If I eat too much, I'll end up looking like a blimp and have to work that much harder when it comes time to get the excess weight off. So I've startegically set up my plan to slowly increase my weight while switching up my workouts from week to week to keep continuous muscle confusion. When it's time to lean out, I'll slowly start to decrease my caloric intake to a healthy amount and add some cardio back in rather than cutting everything back all at once. It blows my mind to see people eating 800-1000 calories a day. Doing that will only lead to a major rebound.

   Work hard, be patient, and most importantly be CONSISTENT. Whether you are bulking up,  or leaning out it all takes time and consistency to see results.  If you can be honest with yourself the results will come. No one can do it but you!

                                                                   Stay consistent, 

                                                                     Heather

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

   So I am just about 4 weeks post show and finally feeling good! I'm up about 6-8 pounds on any given day from my stage weight and feeling a lot stronger, happier, and healthier most importantly. I ended up taking 13th in my class of 38 girls so for my first national show that's not too bad. Lots of new friendships and bonds were made, and although my experience getting to the stage this time was anything but good, there were a lot of great things that came out of it. I want to share a bit of what competition life can be like and should not be like so bear with me, it's going to be bit lengthy!

  Competing is HARD. I'm not even going to sugar coat it. It is very physically demanding, but that's the easy part. The hardest part is the mental and emotional toll it can take on you. It is not something for the weak. Having a coach, team mates, friends and family backing you is definitely helpful, but in the end it is you against you. You have to be the strong one and take control of your mind and body. Noone can do that part for you. As I stated in my last post I went through a rollercoaster of emotions preparing for Junior Nationals. More specifically the last 6 weeks while I was under the guidance of someone new. I have been through 3 preps for 3 shows in the last year. My first prep being 20 weeks long and the last two being 12 weeks. The first two with my original coach were a breeze! Eating plenty of food, never completely cutting carbs, doing no more than 30 mins of cardio and no more than 5 days a week at that, plenty of energy to get me through my workouts and keep me functional the rest of the day, the list goes on. Sure, the last couple of weeks got hard as we fine tuned things to really dial me in, but that's a given. The last 6 weeks of my last prep(as I said with someone new) I had started doing an hour of cardio 6 days a week and 30 minutes on the seventh day. By the end I was at upwards of nine hours a week! That's insane! Not to mention I had zero carbs the last two weeks until peak week. These are the things I meant in my last post about being disappointed in myself and not following my heart. I KNEW doing these things were not right. I was tired ALL the time, I had TERRIBLE mood swings that I never had experienced before, my performance at the gym was hindered, but these weren't even the worst things. I started to get shaky all the time, was dead tired no matter how much sleep I got, I would constantly loose my balance just standing still, my metabolism was at risk, and my cortisol levels were probably through the roof with how stressed I managed to get, which caused my body to hold onto more fat. My body was not healthy and I knew it. I can't necessarily say I regret my experience because it taught me a very valuable and important lesson, and I hope that it helps others. If I could explain in one word how I feel now it would be Free!

   I read this article today and related to just about every single point it made. If you have competed a million times, or never competed a day in your life and are considering it, I highly suggest checking it out! 
http://www.rxmuscle.com/rx-girl-articles/11158-are-you-being-coached-properly.html
  
  Next let's talk about how bikini seems to be becoming a "fad." It seems that alot of girls want to be bikini competitors because it seems sexy and glamourous. Let me tell you, it is anything but. Sure, when you sit in the crowd and see the girls on stage they look beautiful. Gorgeous hair and makeup, super tan, sparkly blinged out bikinis, high heels, the whole nine yards. Picture this...you take your last real shower two days before the show. Shave your entire body(or wax), but don't put on any deoderant or perfume afterwards because you don't want your first coat of tan to go on funny! You get your first coat of tan butt naked  and it's cold. Then you stand there, still naked, until you're dry(thank goodness my coach sprays us and we've gotten very comfortable lol)! Make sure to be careful and don't get wet!! Put some dark sheets on your bed so you don't ruin them either. The next morning you can finally rinse, yes rinse, no soap or shampoo, and still no deoderant!  That day you get sprayed again and follow all of the same steps until your final spray the morning of your show. Now you're feeling really great. You're standing around naked and smelly with a bunch of other girls blow drying yourself and/or waiting for hair and makeup. Don't forget that you're water depleted so all of your meals are chased down with whatever saliva is left in your mouth if any at this point. Then you proceed to spend the rest of the day with people just like you....smelling of spray tan and body odor. 

  Ok, ok, so I hope I haven't scared you away yet! Yes, it can be difficult, but there is a really great side to this too! Competing has shown me a side of myself that I never knew existed. I have far more confidence and love for myself and my body than I ever thought possible. Now I look at my body as a piece of art. I build it up, then chisel at it until I reach my desired physique. I am stronger not only physically but mentally as well. I have met so many like minded people and have created great friendships. The craziest thing is that even though we may end up on stage competing against each other or on different teams we're all working together to get there. Sharing tips, tricks, recipes, knowledge, motivating and inspiring one another, and pushing each other to our limits to make each other better. Of course there are some people who only care about themselves, but you'll find those everywhere. More often than not you will see how uplifting and positive this sport can be if you keep the right company. 

  What's next for me? Well to be quite honest I purposely haven't made any plans for a future show yet. I am thinking spring time, but nothing set in stone. For now I'm going to enjoy my time off, be a little more relaxed, and make some gains of course! I'm glad my team is back to its happy place, and to be with my original coach. As we continue to grow, I'm glad to have made the choice to continue this journey with them! Stay true to yourself and follow your heart. That right there already sets you up for success!

                                                   Stay happy & healthy,
                                                              Heather