I am now closer than ever to my biggest competition to date and i'm getting pretty excited! This week is very exciting as it was the release of issue #28 for Inside Fitness Magazine and i'm in it! I have been eagerly checking newsstands since the magazines worldwide release on Monday, but have not had luck finding it anywhere in Regina yet!! I am told it will possibly be at Chapters tomorrow and will be at grocery stores and gas stations next Wednesday! I am also super pumped to say that I have qualified for the Inside Fitness Magazine Hot & Fit 100 2011 issue that is set to release January 2012! Wow, i am still kind of not believing it, especially because I have not been able to actually buy the magazine yet! :) All this excitement has definately kept me motivated the last couple of months between Provincials and the upcoming Nationals.
My focus the last few weeks has been to build my lower half. I have implemented more fats and carbs to my diet and my cardio has been reduced. As I had mentioned in my post Provincials blogs, my trainer wants me going into Nationals a bit fuller than I did for Provincials. This means i've been eating almond butter every morning and night! Yay!!! I love my almond butter! :)
A big misconception when you get into competition shape is that you do not get to eat. My father in law keeps asking my husband if i've been cut off of food yet! Let me tell you, it is the exact opposite. I am eating more in a day right now than I ever have in my life. I am well fed and well watered, but I am also well trained! My body is working like a machine right now and as the clock ticks towards the 2.5 hour mark from my last meal I NEED FOOD! I used to consider myself a clean eater, but I was also ingnorant to the amount of sugars I was intaking in a day. I was a big snacker and although I always snacked on "healthy snacks" they were loaded with sugar that is ultimately stored as fat if not burned off!!! I would sit and watch my tv shows with a box of shreddies or special-k or would snack on raisins or craisins and often found myself finishing a half of a pineapple or bag of grapes! I rarely ate within an hour of waking up and usually only ate 3 meals a day, hence the mindless snacking! I am a person of habit and happen to like repitition. As long as I have my meals ready for that moment when my body says "feed me" I can feed it with fuel instead of sugar and have the energy to power through a great workout!
Here is an example of my daily meal plan 1.5 weeks out of competition:
Meal 1: Protein Pancake - (egg whites, old fashion oats, all natural almond butter, cinnamon and water blended into pancake)
Meal 2: tilapia + green beans
Meal 3: chkn breast + spaghetti squash
Meal 4: tilapia + green beans + baby potatoes
Meal 5: chkn breast + spinach with balsamic vinegar and slivered almonds + spaghetti squash
Meal 6: Protein Pudding - (protein powder, all natural almond butter and water to pudding consistency)
I have ordered a new suit for the Nationals competition and am waiting on pins and needles for it to arrive. I really hope it gets here in time!! So 1.5weeks left to go...i'm already dreading having to drop gum from my daily routine :) I have one last week of training - after next Wednesdays train I will be resting for the competition. The final week is so exciting. Can't wait and I can't believe it's almost here. It seems like yesterday that I was just contacting my trainer to set up a program for me....Speaking of my trainer - a lot of you have been inquiring who my trainer is. I have had the pleasure to work with IFBB Pro Lyris Cappelle. Lyris is outstanding and I definately recommend her!
So...1.5weeks!?....HERE WE GO!
See you at the gym!
Holly
I am 1.5 weeks out from a competition and preparing on my own. Practicing practicing practicing in the mirrors at my gym every night. Can you give me any pointers as this is my first show? How did you tan for the show? How did you decide how to pose? Any advise or help is SO greatly appreciated! I am SO excited but also very overwhelmed and nervous. I may be going in a little too lean as well, need to up something here. Thanks for your help!
ReplyDeleteMary-Rose
Hi Mary-Rose! Congratulations on all the hard work you have put in thus far!! You're first show is a very special time and you learn so much about yourself through this first competition prep.
ReplyDeletePosing pointers:
-Practice makes perfect. You need to know your body and be able to show off all of your hard work properly. You've put in months of training and you need to know how to properly show that off in the minutes you have to shine on stage. Stage presence and posing properly can be the difference between first and last. I am not a professional by any means and I find that posing to show off my body type best is my weak point. I will continue to practice and continue to learn my bodies best position with every competition prep going forward. I think watching videos of the pros is a great tool, but watching yourself and finding your best positions is by far your best practice.
Tan:
-I start doing a nightly tub soak and exfoliation routine about 10 days out from competition. You want your skin nice and dry as the tan goes on and hold better when you are not moisturized.
-I stop tanning at least 4 days before hitting the stage as it makes you retain water.
-I use and recommend the JanTana products. It comes with the kit to exfoliate before competition and glaze for your competition day.
-If there is a tanning company doing the tans for the show, I recommend using them. It is one less thing you have to worry about and then you can be sure that your color will be consistent with the other competitors.
I'm very excited for you Mary-Rose and would love to see pictures and hear how the experience was. I think the journey to the stage is the most exciting part. Strut your stuff with confidence and enjoy every minute of your day!
Holly