Well, as of today there are only 8 weeks until I step on stage! I started prep at 16 weeks. I can't believe that much time has already gone by. A few things I've learned over the last 8 weeks:
*I'm NOT perfect - nor will I ever be. There were a few times I got really down on myself when I didn't have a perfect day - when I didn't workout as hard as I could have, or ate something I wasn't supposed to. This would only turn into a downward spiral. I've had to accept the reality that I'm not perfect, and more importantly that it's OK to not be perfect. No one is! I'm going to mess up, have bad days, not feel well, etc. The important thing is that I move onward and upward. Rather than beating myself up, I'm learning to forgive myself, learn from the mistake, and grow from it. This way of thinking has been amazing. I have near "perfect" days all the time now because I'm not letting the little things de-rail me. Let it go, and move on!
*I've learned that the mind is SO powerful. When I first started this prep, I was a little intimidated by the heavy lifting I'm supposed to be doing. I've always thought of myself as not very strong. The first few weeks I would lift what I "thought" was heavy, but as the weeks went by, and my confidence grew, I realized that I could lift so much more than I was giving myself credit for. So I started adding on the weights - instead of choosing a weight I thought was heavy, I'd choose a weight I thought was TOO heavy...I'd visualize myself doing it with perfect form, then give it a try, and guess what...I did it! :) So much of what we are capable of is blocked by negative thinking. We can endure so much more than we give ourselves credit for. Mind over matter, mind over matter, mind over matter!!
*If it were easy - everyone would be doing it! I use this quote to get me through my toughest workouts and worst days. I can be a bit of a whiner from time to time. I've caught myself on several occasions whining to myself or to others about how I don't "get to" eat that, or I "can't" eat that or do that, or I "have" to workout everyday and have no social life....these occasions are usually followed by a mental slap to the back of the head. I CHOSE to do this!! And it's going to be VERY hard. And if it were easy - EVERYONE would be doing it! In the end, hard work always pays off.
And on a more humorous note:
I was browsing forums on bodybuilding.com and ran across one about how you know when you are in competition prep - the funny things competitors do when it gets close to show time. Here are a few that stuck out to me because I do them too! It's good to know we're not alone!
*You scrape every last bite of oatmeal off of your bowl, every last bit, sometimes with your finger!
*You hide your peanut butter - or "break up" with peanut butter. Oh yes, peanut butter and I have parted ways...sigh.
*Things like honey, sprinkles, cereals, etc. must be thrown away - though you haven't noticed them in the cabinet for months, they suddenly sound pretty yummy.
*Cereal is like crack - it's officially banned from my house until May 22nd. :)
*You check your pantry or fridge 10 times in one hour - just in case some calorie free magic food showed up while you weren't looking.
*You grocery shop for hours - checking the labels on foods hoping that maybe you'll find the box of cookies that doesn't have any carbs or fat. Lol - guilty!
*Your spice cabinet looks like it belongs to a professional chef
*You've become a protein shake connoisseur
*You've tried protein every way humanly possible, trying to turn it into a delectable dessert.
*Your supplement cabinet could put GNC out of business.
*As soon as you eat, you're thinking about what you're going to eat in 3 more hours
*As soon as you wake up - your thinking about breakfast
*You've been known to eat a chicken breast with your hands while driving because it's time to eat.
A lot of these were written by other people, but I can totally relate!! LOL! I love it! Yes, it gets a little crazy, and some people think I'm nuts, but I'm on a mission!
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