T: What motivated you to start training?
S: I
have always been in shape and have loved the gym. I had never been
trained by a professional though and previous to having a baby had been
interested in the possibility of doing a fitness competition one day.
After having Amelia and putting on and keeping a tiny bit of extra
weight I felt there was no better time than now to train to compete. I
googled, in search of a trainer, and found Katie at Fit-Fire Fitness and
here I am today; I just finished my second competition. Other than
wanting to get into the best shape of my life I also wanted to challenge
myself to go into the spotlight and show myself off on a stage. I have
never really been on a stage or been the center of attention (nor
wanted to be). I never took dance classes or anything growing up or
anything that required me to be on a stage in front of people (other
than piano recital and Christmas concerts for elementary school).
Training to compete gives me the challenge to better my physique but
also challenges me to get out of my comfort zone by show off a little
and challenging my confidence.
T: What was the hardest thing to overcome when you started training?
S: The
hardest thing was changing my diet and eating clean. I loooooove food
and love my sauces and gravy's and sugars, etc….so taking all that out
of my diet was very hard. The posing practice was always tough because I
am not naturally flirty or "sexy" so it was hard to put on that bubbly
"façade" and prance in front of a mirror, let alone a crowd of people! I
am still very much working on my stage presence and confidence.
T: What was your biggest motivation?
S: My
motivation was the challenge I was giving myself. I just wanted to get
into the same shape I was before I had a baby and into even better
shape! It also motivated me thinking that I was increasing my
confidence and challenging myself outside of my comfort which only makes
me a better person I feel. In the end my only competition is myself.
T: I know you said that you wanted people to know that even though you
look super healthy right now, you aren’t at all. Can you explain this in
a bit more detail?
S: I'll
first mention that I am not a doctor or a nutritionist or anything like
that so this is mostly in my opinion and understanding. I mentioned to
you that I am not necessarily healthy at the moment because it is true,
being so close to a competition when I shot photo's with you (a day
after I competed) I am at a very low body fat percentage. My percentage
was less than 8% and is less than 8% within the last month of training
and at competition day. It is said that to function at a normal level
women should have at least 11% body fat and 12% for men (I believe those
are the stats, but, again, I am not a doctor). I may be eating healthy
by eating in small portions and often and eating very clean (which is
good) but I am also working out A LOT and putting my body through a lot
of stress with all the training I do in the gym. I'll also mention that
we are playing with our diet a lot especially the last couple of weeks
before competition we are eliminating a lot of fats/carbs and dairy as
well as the last 1-2 days before competition where we are depleting our
water which is clearly not a healthy thing not to mention the day of
competition where we are trying not to drink any fluids at all! (water
is very important to drink! While training I drink at least 1.5 litres
just while I work out!) It is not realistic for me to think that I will
keep this body post competition nor is it healthy. A competitor does
this for that big day and once that big day is done we will put that
body fat back on and won't look like we do on stage all year round…and
if we do? In my opinion it is not healthy or normal to look like that
all the time…unless someone is just naturally blessed with that body
then good for them and I am jealous!
T: How did you feel after your first competition when a bit of weight came back on? Were you sad? Disappointed? Etc.
S: To
be honest I was aware that I would put the weight on so it didn't
bother me as much as you or I may think…I was, however, a little
disappointed that I didn’t have that body for very long. I immediately
bloated up and felt like I put back all the body fat within a week of
the competition! After my first competition I just ate and ate and ate
which I regretted because I felt I could have and should have continued
eating clean. My trainer made sure I knew, while I was training, that
it was not realistic to have that body at all times and to be aware that
I may not look like that after the competition and that I would bloat
up. I think knowing this helped me not be too disappointed as I was
already prepared and aware.
T: What surprised you the most during your journey?
S: I
was pretty amazed by how quickly your body starts changing from eating
clean. I immediately lost probably around 5% body fat within a month, I
believe, when I first started (I started at around 20% body fat when I
first started training for my first competition). All the changes and
all the new muscles I saw develop was just amazing….I have never felt
the striations of a muscle until I trained to compete. My muscles have
come so far in their growth and it is pretty cool to watch happen!
T: Is healthy eating/working out something that you think you will keep doing?
S: I
will definitely continue eating clean as much as possible (with cheats
along the way of course!) There are so many new recipes out there now a
days with the new "eat clean" craze, so I plan to take advantage of
these recipes and continue to find ways to still enjoy flavours of food
but also try and make clean choices at the same time. I love working
out; it is my biggest passion so I will definitely continue with my
fitness and trying to grow (I want a bigger bum!) as well as compete
again. I haven not been to the gym in almost a week and I am so excited
to go back today I can hardly wait to get to the squat rack! It is not
about weight loss for me though (I definitely don’t need to lose weight
but only gain it) it is about weight gain in the end because I want to
increase muscle and be healthy.
T: To somebody who wants to start training for a fitness competition what
would your biggest advice be? (aside from getting Teri to do your
“after” photos bahaha!)
S: Have
a good trainer that is looking out for you! There are so many trainers
out there just looking for your money so be wary! I have heard so many
competitors say how upset they were when they bloated up after and tell
me that their trainer didn't prepare them for that or give them a post
competition plan. I was very lucky to find my trainer (Katie at
Fit-Fire Fitness). She supports me 100%, is there for me to ask
questions at any time and doesn’t make me feel stupid when I ask the
silly questions (which I do weekly). She cares about all of her clients
well beings and makes sure she helps you set realistic goals. You need
a trainer who cares to give you a game plan for after the competition
and help you understand the changes your body will go through. Do not
try and train yourself for a competition. You need a trainer who knows
what they are doing. The other big advise would be to be aware that the
body that is produced for a competition is not something that is kept
all year round. You have to be aware of your body and love it even with
20+% body fat and be aware that your body fat will go up after
competing. Many competitors go through a "post competition depression"
so you just have to be very strong willed and know these things and be
aware to avoid becoming depressed post competition. Have a good support
system but also be good/strong support for yourself by knowing yourself
and your body. Be prepared also mentally that there is a good
likelihood that you may not place in top 5 in your first, second or
third competition….Do not set yourself up for disappointment in that
way.
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