Even though I've been dieting since the 2nd of January, I still feel like it's a sprint to the finish before a big show. My two biggest or most anticipated shows this year are the IFPA Pro in Sacramento 7/16/11 and the NPC USA's in Las Vegas 7/30/11. Having these contests fall within two weeks of each other is pretty stressful, but I'll finally get to have a cheat meal after the Vegas show! I try not to think about that because it seems so far away still, but I want pancakes!!!! Anyways, all I can say is that I'm glad I started dieting down so early this year. It's given me and my husband/ diet coach plenty of time to make the needed adjustments to my diet and cardio schedule. It's fascinating how much my body changes each year! It 's not just the outward physical appearance that changes, but also my reaction to food, cardio, sleep. stress, etc. After the last contest I did at the end of May, I decided to kick up my cardio and my husband tweeked my diet a little to lean me out more. This year I wanted to get that "hard" look. My body loves to hold onto water, so getting rid of that excess has made all the difference in my appearance. I must say that going into this contest, I am in the best condition I've ever been able to achieve. I really wanted to have a great 2011 season & with 4 wins so far this year I'm definitely satisfied with my performance.
Last weekend I competed in the NPC San Jose Championships in both Bodybuilding and Figure . I actually placed first in my class in both categories! Talk about a shocker (especially with the bodybuilding)! Of course the girl that took the overall in bodybuilding was about 40 lbs heavier than me, so I really wasn't expecting to win the whole thing. Getting up on the bodybuilding stage after not having done it in 3 years was terrifying and exciting at the same time. I was so nervous trying to remember all of the tips and tricks I've been taught and actually remembering to flex my muscles (which I don't do in the NPC figure division). Wouldn't you know that when it came time to do my routine my music didn't work in their stereo (talk about my worst nightmare!)...So, I ran off the stage to get my back up copy while the other lightweight competitor did her routine. I gave my disk to the DJ and when that one didn't work either I could literally feel my stomach sink. The DJ let me look at a list of songs and thankfully he had the song This is why I'm Hot on his computer. I did my first routine in 2008 to that song so I told him to just play that one. Talk about nerve wracking! Anyways, I did it and thankfully didn't mess up or fall, etc....While I had a bit of a technical challenge during the bodybuilding portion of the competition, it made me realize how much I miss doing the bodybuilding division. Figure is fun with the jewelry and glitzy suits, but I just love flexing my muscles and doing the routine portion. I'm really looking forward to competing at the USA's in the new Physique division. It think it's the best of both worlds- glitz without the shoes!
So we'll see what the future will hold for me after these two shows. I've got a big month ahead of me and will be sure to keep posting!
