10 (and 17) Days Out!

My trainer planted a seed in my head this morning that has been growing and growing all day.  Now, it's fully blossomed - there are some leaves, and fruit, and even some squirrels in there.....  yup, the idea is a full out plan now.

The IDFA is having another competition in Toronto the week following mine.  My trainer suggested I think about entering it as well as the Ottawa show, so I am going to do it!

Two shows, two weeks.  I know it's nothing out of the ordinary for many competitors, but it's a bit intimidating for me.  Especially since I was all gung ho on being allowed to "eat" again lol.  Oh well, what's one more week at this point, right?

The advantages are obvious: you're already in great condition, you've already got your suit (and are probably still tanned), you've gotten a bit of practice and feedback from the judges from the first show and then have a week to fine-tune your physique/performance for the next one.  It's not uncommon for people to do even better at their second show because their bodies are primed for it.

The negatives, for me, are mostly monetary: travel, accommodation, entry fees, hair and makeup, etc.  But, we'll make it work :)

Oh dear.  What am I getting myself into?  This is going to get interesting, so stay tuned!

All-Access (Closet) Pass

Ok, real quick post today, but I just had to share my excitement.  I tried on my "goal" or "landmark" pants today for the first time in 6 weeks and....... they fit!  Hallelujah!!  In fact, all of my clothes are fitting perfectly now :D  I can't even tell you how great it feels to have my entire closet back.

I bought these pants fresh out of university when I had about 10lbs less muscle on me.   More muscle, less fat, same pants.... still fit with no muffin top.

You know, it's little things like that that keep my motivation up week by week.  I had an awesome cardio workout after that little boost, and I'm about to go walk my dog in my new (old) pants.  Nice!

Checklist

I was going through the list of things I have to do for the show today, and realized that I'm surprisingly on top of things!

-Posing suits: check!  Received my fitness suit today so I can start practicing in both :)
-Shoes: check!  Re-using the ones from last year.  Yay for saving money, plus, they're already broken in!
-Tan: check!  Ordered it last night and it should arrive by the end of the week.
-Hair and makeup: check!  Appointments have been made and "looks" have been chosen
-Organize my cheering squad: check!  Sent out and posted all the details so people will know what's going on, and have started organizing an after party.  Woohoo!
-Buy "extras": still have to collect all my supplies (sponges, cups, gloves, Q-tips) and accessories (earrings, bracelet)
-Mani/pedi: will be doing that myself the day before, so check!
- Pack show bags: to be done next week after "extras" are collected
-Whiten teeth: dang, gotta get on that ASAP
-Registration: will be done day of the show

Have I missed anything?

IDFA Ottawa-Gatineau Classic

For anybody in the Ottawa/Montreal/Toronto area who is interested in seeing me compete, here is a link to the show I'll be entering.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=168425083191237

Date: Saturday, October 29th 2011
Time: 5:00pm
Location: Museum of Civilizations, Gatineau, QC
Price: $45
Tickets: 819-776-7000 or you can buy them in person at the Box Office

Progress: 2 weeks out

Holy shiza!  Is it just 2 weeks away already?  Why did I ever complain about 10 or even 17 weeks being too long a wait?

Here are the progress pictures from today.  As a bonus, I've also decided to let you all see my finished Figure posing suit!  I'm so happy with it.  I think the colours look great on me, and it's very unique.  It's been a lot of fun to have an idea and see it come to life.  Thanks to my sisters who helped me brainstorm designs, and Joan who made it happen :D

I am, however, going to keep my Fitness suit a secret.  Hey, I've gotta keep ya coming back somehow!

My Sleep Cycle and Me

I have a sister who used to fall asleep at exactly noon, every day, no fail, no matter what she was doing.  We always loved hearing the story about how one time we were in a fancy dining room for lunch.  The clock struck noon, and with nobody there to catch her head..... *SPLAT!* down she went, face first right into her food.

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Some of you may recall that after coming back from vacation, I wanted to start waking up at 6am to see the sun rise.  While I have had quite a few successful early morning wake ups recently, I've also been paying closer attention to my body's natural rhythm and sleep cycles.

I've always known that I'm a nigh hawk.  Since I can remember, I've always preferred to stay up late than to wake up early.  Don't get me wrong - I love the sun rise, and am totally able to wake up at insanely early hours with an annoying abundance of energy.  But give me the night.

What I was never really sure of, however, was how much sleep I needed.  I've always had jobs or classes to get to, work to be done, people to see, etc., such that I would run on pure adrenaline some days.  Only recently have I had the time and complete freedom of schedule to really get in tune with my sleep needs.

I've realized that if I have no alarm set and no obligations in the morning, my body will wake up at 9:30am almost to the minute.  I can get up as early as 8am without trouble, but any earlier than that and I'm a little bit groggy (though still cheerful.... ;D)  I've learned that with no constraints on my bedtime, I naturally get tired around 11pm, and fall asleep between 12 and 1am.  I can crawl into bed as early as 10:30pm, but any earlier than that and I'll be tossing and turning rather than sleeping.  8.5 - 9 hours of sleep is ideal; at 7 hours I'm functional; anything less than 6 (or more than 10) hurts me.

So that's all well and good, but what does that mean?  Well, it makes scheduling a heck of a lot faster and easier!  Everything from social activities, to gym times, to meal times can be based off this information.  It also means that when I do finally start to work again, I'll have a better idea of what kind of work hours I'm looking for (yes, I do believe that people have a right to be picky when it comes to finding a job that works with their schedules, and not the other way around.  "Work to live, don't live to work" is my motto).  But most importantly, I've found that working with, rather than against, my body's natural rhythm has helped me to maximize my energy, translating into better workouts, less severe hunger, improved mood and mental clarity, and all that other good stuff that comes from getting a good night's sleep!

Well that's my little blurb for the day.  As I'm writing this I'm getting tired, and realize it's 11pm.  I think I'll start getting ready for bed now.  Goodnight!

Second Wind

How many of you have dragged yourselves to the gym, kicking and screaming, promising to make it a "quick and easy" workout.... only to get a second wind and push yourself even harder than before?

That's the kind of day I had today!

Leg days have this weird way of playing tricks with my mind.  I always go in totally dreading how much it's going to hurt and resenting how hard it's going to be.  I moan and groan through the first few sets but then once I get into it, I'm FLYING.  All of a sudden I'm dripping sweat, my heart is pounding, and I'm smiling from ear to ear because I know it's been the best workout all week.

Today I did a total of 458 squats and leg presses.  No, that's not a typo.  And yes, I'm beaming as I write it :D  I had to count twice to make sure:


Squats = 10 sets of 10 reps
Leg Press = 9 x 12
Single Leg Press = 10 x 25 

Oh, and of course there were multiple sets of leg curls, extensions, and calf raises too.... not to brag or anything ;)

Yup, pretty soon my legs are going to look like 

<----------------THIS----------------->





Did I say "soon"?  Ok, it's probably more like "eventually".  But I'm well on my way, and I'm feeling pretty darn good about it.