11 weeks out- Time to get serious!

Starting out this season has already had its share of challenges.  It started out with severe stomach problems that I've finally been able to tame and included an 8 day cruise in the Caribbean.  I also caught what I'm calling the "super cold" that still won't go away, and to top it off, my husband and I opened up our new training studio in Roseville, Ca.  All of this has stuffed itself into the first couple of weeks of my season 5 competition prep!   So needless to say, I'm off to a bit of a rocky start this year.  Fortunately for me, I only allowed myself to gain about 7 pounds in the "off season" this year, plus I didn't gain anything while on my cruise.  I'm really hoping my discipline will end up working to my advantage and help me condense my prep time into 11 weeks instead of my normal 16.  All competitors encounter challenges during their prep, but it's how you handle them that matters.  I think overcoming those challenges and issues is all part of this sport and as my husband likes to say, "If everything in life were easy, there wouldn't be anything worth doing!"

  

 So, with those words in mind I am pushing forward to my first contest of the season- The Governor's Cup in Sacramento, CA on March 24th.  I have to keep my mind focused on the "finished product" and my eye on the prize!  Here are some things I 'm doing to keep my motivation on point:

• I watch posted videos of my future "competition".  This gets me pumped because I'm so freaking competitive!
• I start looking at suits and have also started listening to different types of music to pick out a posing song.
• I switch up my workouts frequently and start incorporating different varieties of training.  For instance, yesterday I did some exercises with the TRX at our studio.
• I also look for inspiration from past competitors that I admire like Rachel Mclish.  Women like her set an impressive standard for women's bodybuilding in the 80's and I'm hoping that my femininity and muscularity can inspire a new group of female competitors to join my Iron Addiction team!

Until next time...the 10 week mark.