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.