74 days to Nationals

Training
Training continues to go really well. Everyone always asks about my shows, and when is the next one. They say, 'hey didn't you just have a show'. But they never can tell with regular clothes on what stage of prep I am in. I, on the other hand, feel really big right now and cannot wait until the diet phase starts, as well as routine practice. I am done my 'back and shoulder' assult, and now Erik will put me on a program to help me grow. I am hopeful that this size I am putting on will serve me well, not only to get a pro card, but also when I get to the pros. I am not a big girl by nature, and this kind of muscle does look a bit freakish, but I know it is only temporary. Temporary - meaning - when I am 50 years old I probably won't look this way....or will I? I am sure the muscle mass that I carry will serve me well from a health perspective when I am older.

Diet
I am starting to clean up my diet. This week has been really good. I am cutting back on the treats, like, ice cream & different breads, and cheese. To me bread is a treat. I would rather have a garlic loaf, than a piece of cheesecake. I guess this way I am not normal. I have begun to see changes even in just a week - I am down to around 132lbs now. So this weekend I allowed myself some slack. However, back on Monday or maybe even today I am back to eating clean. I feel so much better physically when I do.

School
Whew. School is almost done. It is not that I don't enjoy my job - I do. But there are times when you do need a break. Being a teacher is a full time job, one that comes home with you at night. Not just with marking and prepping work for the next day, but also emotionally if there are moment when things do not go well in class. I will be on my last week of teaching - this week, and then my students are in exams for 2 weeks. Which means, more marking and more planning if not for this year, in September when school starts again. I plan now (at the end of June) for those things in September, as my mind is more in the game now, than it will be after 6 weeks of vacation.

Summer holidays start around the 23rd of June for me. I have a family vacation planned, another trip or 2 in July and then August will roll around with the Nationals on August 15th, and then North Americans two weeks later. School starts for me on the Monday before North Americans. Although holidays have not begun yet, I have so much planned that it might as well be September as the time is flying really quickly this year.

Family
My little guy is 3 years old now. He is a very active kid, one who needs to be constantly moving. Terrible twos - nah...I think it more like the terrible threes. He has his moments of impulsiveness and I am dealing with it on a week to week basis - one week he is super polite, and conscientious; and the next week, he is like a tornado in the room.

I can see why women who have competed and then have babies tend to take a break from competing. It is not only the time away from them, but once you start to mess with your calories and carbs - your mood tends to be a little less patient when you child acts 'out of sorts'. I feel the lack of patience in myself sometimes when I am dieting, and well, I really don't like that feeling. But anytime I do feel overwhelmed I definitely count to 10 in my head, and check myself. During my time of prep, I always get more sleep than I need (just like my son), and make sure my meals are on time. As I am writing I am seeing a small resemblance to myself and my 3 year old during contest prep. ;)

I am realizing when my little guy is most likely to have a meltdown, and try to avoid being to far away from the house. For instance, if he is hungry or sleepy. It is worse when he is tired.

Other than that he keeps me on my toes, and keeps me busy which is going to be good when I am dieting. I look forward to being on a regime that keeps me on the straight and narrow. No deciding on what to eat. You just go to the fridge, and eat to fill the void and then keep going. Eat, sleep, train, repeat. I guess my son follow the same pattern - eat, sleep, play, repeat.

A.

2.5 months to Nationals

Hi Everyone-

It has been a while since I have updated. over the next few months updates will be more frequently as I will off on summer vacation once again, and thus have more time on my hands.
Right now I am in the midst of exams and final prep with my students. Two more weeks of prep for them, and then they are writing exams. This year has been uber busy as we are going through a huge 'reform' in Education in Quebec, and funny you never hear about it on the local news. I will not go into my rant on this topic as that is another side of me. The year is almost finished, and I want to remain positive and help my students the best I can under the circumstances.

Well, what have I been up to? After drowning my sorrows in food for a bit (it does happen to the best of us), I have been training really hard in the gym (ahem, heavy) in order to gain back the muscle I have lost through dieting and bringing up my upper back and shoulders. I have a few ideas of things to change in my presentation and will be working on that through the summer in order to make sure I show my best in August.

The next show for me is in August - THE Nationals - in Vancouver - the 2009 Canadian Fitness & Figure Nationals to be held on the weekend of August 15th. It is promoted by Sandra and Ross Wickham - www.sandrawickham.com for more information.

It is the next event and my 4th try at an IFBB pro card. I have the same routine with a few minor changes - Star Trek theme, and will be trying to 'wow' the judges once again. My physique is always tough, as I come in very lean and it seems to be the new trend not to go with the old school leanness that once was favored. But I do see the hardness, including the capped shoulders in the pros - so all I need to do is get there. On the CBBF website they have pictures of what the figure and fitness athlete should strive towards, see here, and well, they are not currently rewarding that look. It does leave me confused. I am not sure how to look but I will bring in a shape that I am happy with and then let the judges decide.

People have said some things to me, nice and well not so nice this year. I am surprised at how mean some people can be. When I competed for FAP, FAME and Tri-Fitness and Ms. Fitness I never experienced cattiness and mean spirited people. Now that I compete for the IFBB and NPC there are moments when people will say not the nicest things to me. Or say not so nice things about the girls around me. I find this to be very surprising as this is not the type of fitness environment I grew up in. Perhaps I am a bit naive but I have strong belief that in everyone there is good.

I think I just have to surround myself with a good group of people that can support me all the way to the Pros and beyond. It does begin at home, with my family, friends, and co-workers. They are so funny. For me to eat 'diet' food is considered normal. When I am not dieting that is when they make comments like, 'hey you are not supposed to be eating that'. We always have a laugh about that. For me to be 'not normal' is normal.

Then I have Erik Ledin of LeanBodiesConsulting.com. He has been putting me to the test over the past few weeks. My training has been quite intense. I love beating myself up in the gym, and I do have him to thank for that. I am sure the next program will be just as intense, in order to continue my preparations for Nationals.

There are others as well, who have helped guide, and shape me. I am going to have to make one special post to thank all those who have helped me over the years. I am going to keep them nameless right now, as well, you can't give away all your secrets. I will getting help where I can over the next few months, in order to improve. Which this is one of my main goals - always to improve and be better than I was the previous year. I have been doing this fitness thing for a while, by myself, and now I know I need to call upon others who have more knowledge in order to bring me to a higher level physically and mentally.

I will post some off season pictures sometime next week. Yes, I have gained weight. More than usual. We can talk about that later.

This weekend is the Jr.USAs. How lucky those girls are to be able to compete Nationally at least 4 times a year in order to earn a pro card. Here in Canada we have one Nationals and one pro card. Luckily the back up plan is the North Americans - yes, I heard about that show and the divisions they added. I will probably be there ;)

A.