Trish's 2011 comp prep, week 16- Let the countdown begin!!!

Starting weight: 113 lbs, Current weight 104.7 lbs

Well, let the countdown formally begin!  As of tomorrow, I will be 1 week out from contest.  For so long it feels like contest day will never come and then all of a sudden, it's here!  I went yesterday and bought all of my contest day odd and ends- dry shampoo, super dark makeup, travel sized toiletries, etc...  Just shopping for that stuff made me so excited, knowing that I'm getting so close to stage time! 

Feeling so enthusiastic yesterday reminds me of how emotional of a time this is for all competitors- seasoned or novice.  We all have our ups and downs during contest prep and it's a real test of someone's emotional strength and ultimately their willpower.  I've definitely had my share of mixed feelings this season.  I've had really bad weeks, like last week, and then I'll have a great week, like this week.  But it is an awesome feeling knowing that I've stuck to my diet 100%, given my workouts and cardio 100%, and have been able to stay married through it all! It's a tricky time because my hormones are going crazy (not in a good way either!) and the physical changes occur so slowly that it often feels like a plateau.  I just keep trying to remind myself that is was the tortoise who won the race, not the rabbit.

It's important to remember that in this type of dieting it's not about fitting into a certain size jeans anymore, it's way beyond that.  It's hard core now!  The workouts and strict diet are about sculpting and refining my physique, carving out every muscle, and losing only fat while retaining every ounce of muscle possible.  That's what it's all about...taking my body to that next level that so few people will ever be able to reach!  That in itself is an awesome accomplishment! I've gotta pat myself on the back sometimes too, right?

So far this season, I've gotten some great feedback on my blogs and competition prep from various people (you all know who you are) and I'm really thankful for all of it.  I may train competitors for a living, but even I need some encouragement and reinforcement every now and then!   In fact, one of the other trainers I work with (who is also a competitor) and I were chatting about how easy it is to focus on our clients' goals and often push our own needs to the side, squeezing in that client's workout or training session.  All I know is that judge on the panel sure isn't gonna care that I was too busy to practice myr posing or get my personal workouts in!

So, this week I start my peak week.  I think my hubby's got a great plan laid out for me, but we'll see how it all turns out next week.  Mike's never done me wrong in that department, so I'll roll with his insight and I'm sure it will turn out for the best. We did a trial run this week and it worked pretty good so I should be ready for the stage May 7th!