If you’re reading this then allow me to extend a warm WELCOME and THANK YOU for checking out my site! Read at your own risk- this is, after all my very first blog entry…and things could get interesting…
Why is THIS my first official blog entry? Well, quite simply I was procrastinating- I couldn’t think of a bright idea for my “super important very first blog” and of course didn’t want to throw some meaningless words and pictures up on the site and call my first official post! Then it dawned on me…just as I’d procrastinated and held off on posting my first blog in fear that it wouldn’t be “good enough” or that it wouldn’t stack up against all of the amazing, inspirational and educational fitness blogs out there, I’d put off some other pressing events for the same reason- fear, over-analyzing, self-doubt and always wanting everything that I produce- whether that be a workout program created for my clients or essays and class projects back in my years as a student- to be the very best which I was capable of. Yep, that’s right- we’re our own worst critics and I’m no exception, always critical of every detail put forth in my efforts and work- perfectionist much?
How in the heck does this relate to fitness, you ask? Well, for your sake (since I’m sure you’ve all got crunches, squats and cardio to do today!) I’ll keep this backstory brief. Has anyone else ever REALLY wanted to try something new? Just go out for something entirely different, unlike anything they had ever done before? Something that, to be completely honest- scared the crap out of you and really made you doubt yourself and your own abilities? Well I SURE DID! For years (over a decade, to be exact!) I toyed with the idea of entering a fitness competition. Having just joined a health club and stumbled across a member’s used copy of Oxygen, aside from the workouts featured in the magazine, I didn’t have a clue how to operate any of the equipment, let alone carve my body into stage worthy condition! After seeing pictures of Monica Brant and Kim Dolan Leto in the pages of Oxygen magazine, I was immediately intrigued (OK, in awe is more like it)! Flipping through the pages of that magazine, I couldn’t fight the fact that I really wanted to sculpt my body in the same strong, gorgeous way these fitness models had! In fact, deep down, I knew I just HAD to!
Ugh, whatever was I to do? I was still in high school and the women in these magazines looked as though they had been training with weights and eating clean for years- how would I ever possibly hold my own if I had the opportunity to step on stage with them? (Enter self-doubt) So I set out to do what only I knew would work- I taught myself the basics of weight training, reading up on every book and serious fitness magazine I could get my hands on. Lucky for me, these magazines also included example workouts and meal programs of competitors such as Monica Brant- so I followed every single step of the workouts listed and ate every item listed on the meal program- you can bet that I was the only girl in 10th grade eating a protein bar between 3rd and 4th period classes and eating protein pancakes for breakfast! Amazed as I was, just weeks after starting the workouts of my favorite fitness super stars, my body started to respond in a favorable light and people took note, complimenting my newly sculpted shoulders and arms! Thrilled I was even more motivated to continue on with my quest for ultimate fitness! It was at this time that I started personal training- I loved fitness, working with clients and helping others reach their goals, so it was a perfect fit! What an awesome first job!
Down the road a number of years- and a variation of personal fitness levels later (I’ll save that for another blog- but if any of you take a gander at the About/Transformation page you’ll read that I’ve gone from pant sizes of 1-11 over the years…so yes, I’ve most definitely been on quite the fitness journey this past decade) I had essentially cast aside the dream that I would ever compete in a fitness competition. Ruling it out as something entirely impossible, and that my body “just isn’t cut out for- no way I’d be able to get that lean! What if I got on stage and was the only one with big muscular legs?! Or with cellulite? I’d be so embarrassed!” I once again set my competition dreams on the backburner, this time dismissing them altogether. As luck (or Facebook) would have it, it was around that time that I was reacquainted with a girl from high school who was living in my area and…wait for it…was COMPETING IN FITNESS COMPETITIONS! We met up for lunch, where I learned all about her competition prep, coach, intense training, pictures from the shows she had competed (and won trophies) in, and the next thing I knew she was telling me I should train for one, too! Intimidated, impressed and even envious of the fact that she had the dedication and focus to prepare for these contests, I immediately said I would attend the next local show to cheer her on. Sure enough, following her show (and another trophy for her mantle) I couldn’t get the thought of competing in a show off my mind. I literally thought about it every day for the next few months (haha, yep, back to my good old friend procrastination again) until I came across a picture displaying the quote “Never Give Up on Something That You Can’t Go a Day Without Thinking About.” It was then and there that I decided to stop waiting, stop second guessing my own capabilities and to check the stress of a yet to be determined outcome at the door- hey, I’d never know if I could do it unless I tried, right?
I then selected a competition date, and dove headfirst into competition prep mode. And for the first time in over a decade, I actually followed through and carried out the detailed plan, piece by piece, sculpting my physique in a fashion similar to those of the fitness models that I (still) admire in the pages of Oxygen. As soon as I stopped worrying about the possibility of people laughing at me, or if they would question whether or not I had the “right” to be on stage, and focused on developing my own physique in ITS best possible condition, a huge weight (pardon the pun!) was lifted off of my shoulders. I was, after all, going after this for myself- it was no one else’s dream other than my own! It was then that I realized the only person I had to prove anything to was ME. I had been so hard on myself all along because deep down I always knew that I had it in me- the strength, the will, the focus and determination- to follow through with this fitness plan of competing and try it- at least once!
It truly didn’t hit me until the morning of the competition, as I was dressed in my custom crystalized bikini and primping last minute with my fellow competitors, when my best friend called to wish me luck. “Good luck good luck!!!” she said, cheering on the phone from the opposite coast. “We’ve been waiting for you to do this for years, yay! You’re finally there, I am SO proud of you!!!” and tears welled up in my eyes. My goodness, I thought to myself. She was right. I was FINALLY there. What in the heck HAD I been waiting for all of these years? It was then and there that I already knew I had won. No, not that I had literally won the competition (I came in 2nd as a matter of fact) but that I had finally stopped procrastinating, and doubting myself and my own abilities. There I was, ready to go on stage- at my very first fitness competition! A decade+ in the making, this event is something that I will never forget, and as a matter of fact has completely changed the course of my life (guess we’ll save that for another blog entry as well) all because I took that first step and decided to finally stop waiting, wishing, hoping and doubting. My goodness! It was about time!
So whatever it may be that you’re holding back on, second-guessing yourself about or just afraid to try…remember that even the smallest of steps taken is one more in the right direction than if you had remained standing still. Cast away any and every ounce of self-doubt- you are capable of far more than you realize!
