Road to Pro
As some of you may know, fitness saved my life. And I mean that literally. If you don't know this story, you can read it here.
It was about 5 years ago, when I got super serious with the gym and my nutrition. I remember seeing my social media feeds full of men and women competing or doing shows. Without much knowledge of the industry yet, I asked my friend who also competed to help me get ready for a show. Not knowing what it really entailed. Or honestly, how freaking hard it was going to be.
With the advice of my friend, I started putting in the work. I changed my entire lifestyle around this competition. I followed macros, bought the suit, the shoes and worked my butt off. At least I thought I was.
I got to 4 weeks out, which means I had been in prep for 8 weeks. I had just met this guy, Justin, whom I am married to today. He enjoyed eating large bowls of cereal at 1am. And I wanted to join in on the cereal fun. It was obviously a mistake. I was going over my macros by A LOT every day. I didn't care at the time because
I was enjoying the time with Justin. It quickly turned into me not going to be able to compete. I had gained weight. Lost my progress and kind of gave up.
Fast forward about 3 or so weeks. I gained 25 pounds in a month or so. I kept asking myself "HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?". However, I knew the answer to that question. I was eating like crap. I was eating too much. My workouts weren't the same anymore. I had failed my friend and everyone that was wanting me to succeed.
I started at 150 pounds, got down to about 140 pounds and then skyrocketed to 175 pounds. Nothing fit me anymore, I was so uncomfortable in my skin and most of all I was a mess mentally. My insecurities were worse than they had ever been. And I knew how to get back to where I wanted to be, I just had to put in the work.
After getting into a serious relationship with Justin, I didn't feel like it was a good time to be in prep or do a show. I wanted to focus on my kids and my flourishing relationship and I am glad I did. Justin and I got married six months after we started dating.
After 3 solid years of learning how my body responds to all sorts of diets, workouts and supplements and also being in the best shape of my life, I think I am ready to actually compete.
This is exciting for many reasons, but most of all because I will finally finish what I started so many years ago. And also, Justin is a massive supporter of this. I finally get to see what my body can actually do. How I can manipulate my body in the upcoming weeks.
Here is what I see as some downfalls. 1. I have a lot of tattoos, and I have heard judges aren't really fans of people full of tattoos. 2. I travel A LOT, so this isn't really an issue but its definitely going to take extra work and dedication.
Other than that, I KNOW that I have what it takes.
I am almost 34, and if I don't compete will I look back on my life and regret not doing it? Absolutely.
Currently I am looking at competing in October in Florida and November in Idaho.
I am ready to take on this challenge and work harder than I have ever worked.
I hope you follow my journey to the stage!