So You Want to Compete?

So you're thinking of competing.

Competing is challenging.

Are you mentally prepared?

Personally, I love competing. There is absolutely nothing like the feeling of being on stage after months of hard work, dedication, training, and strict dieting.

It's a huge mental and physical accomplishment.

You're a new you. You look healthier, you feel healthier, you're tone, you're fit, you're "cut", and you're ready.

You've paid your dues.

You've paid hundreds (if not more) for your suit. If you're lucky, you've borrowed or rented one. You've learned how to walk properly in your 5" heels - or at least you're getting better. You've decided how you want to wear your hair. You have someone lined up for makeup. You made your appointment to get spray tanned.

You've been eating right. Maybe you've carb-cycled. You've cut your carbs. You've loaded up. You've water depleted. You've cut your sodium.

You've put in your 2 cardio sessions a day - maybe even 3. You've gotten up at the crack of dawn to fit it all in. You've gone back to the gym late at night when you are drained, beat tired, and put in another 45 minutes on the stepmill.

For 3 months you've watched, measured, counted, and tracked every single food you've put in your mouth. You've cut out all your favorite cheats. You've cut back on fruit. And bread. And starchy carbs. And carbs in general. You've carried your gallon of water around with you for weeks...everywhere...in order to get your 2 gallons in a day.

You've adjusted your schedule and everyone elses' around you to accommodate your needs...needing to be near a bathroom...needing to go to a restaurant that serves food YOU can eat...needing them to understand why you carry a cooler and your food around with you and why you eat every 2 hours.

Like I said, you've paid your dues.

Competing is hard. I have HUGE admiration for every woman who chooses to do it. It's a commitment. It takes dedication. You learn so much about yourself in the process. It's not overnight. And its not easy.

But when you're on stage it's so worth it.

I've yet to meet a person who hasn't been proud of their achievement.

What you don't expect is the mental and physical challenges AFTER the show.

The big day comes, goes, and all of a sudden you feel lost. Confused. Wandering. Floundering. All of a sudden you're not training for a show. You don't need to count your calories...and your food...and your water. You don't need to put in 2 or 3 cardio sessions a day. You don't need to carb deplete. You're left wondering wondering what to do. How much is too much? How much is too little?

If you're like most competitors after the show you go out for a huge cheat meal and yummy dessert...or two. No guilt.

Then over the next weeks you start introducing new and old foods back into your diet. You "relax" a little.

Before you know it your body starts to change. Other people see you and you still look amazingly great, but when you look in the mirror you see a changed person. Softness. Fullness. The extra calories are finding their way to places you don't want. No one else can see this but you. You know its there, and you don't like it. You just came off a competition. You were so cut, so prime. You know what it takes to look like that, but you don't wan to be THAT dedicated now when you don't have a show to prep for. You want to live more normal, eat more normal, have the energy you now have. You remember that the last weeks leading up to the show your energy was limited. You're finally feeling more balance now. You remember that during comp prep it was all about you, the show, prepping, eating, and working out. That was fine then but not now.

You feel torn.

Basically you want the best of both worlds. You want the look you had the day of your competition, but you also want the balance and freedom you now have.

Every girl I've met who's competed has experienced some level of this. Some are more severe. Some have learned how to cope. Their old hats at this. They've done dozens of competitions. Some, like me, are still learning. For a lucky few I'm guessing it's not an issue at all. But I'd venture to say that the majority have a hard time adjusting to normal life AFTER the show.

I just want you to think about the potential "after effects" beforehand. That's the part no one ever tells you. To me, that's where the real challenge begins. Dieting, training, and prepping is cake in comparison to the "after show blues".

So, as you are considering competing, take it all into consideration. Be prepared.

Competing is challenging.

Are you mentally prepared?