Well darlings, I should have more diligently posted regarding my training for the Beachbody Classic, as it has now been finished for almost a month! But here are 6 things I learned in the process:
-Meal Prep is easy, but sometimes finding the time for it isn't. But if you can, it's great to devote a day to cooking things that can be cooked and left in the fridge or freezer for the week... remembering to defrost them the day you're going to eat it is a whole different matter.
-PICTURES ARE SO IMPORTANT. Taking progress photos every few weeks is the best thing you can do. Sometimes the scale doesn't move OR it moves in the wrong direction...so you think!! The photos and my clothes didn't lie- I was CLEARLY more lean and mean, but that was not reflecting in scale.
-There are protein-infused waters and seltzers at a lot of grocery stores in the healthy food isles. That helped me a lot because in the summer time, there are fun parties with fun party drinks. Having something that wasn't just water helped me feel less like I was separating myself from the crowd.
-Sometimes people are going to try to separate YOU from the crowd. There will be comments like, "It must be sooooo nice to have all that time to focus on your health." "Really? One chip won't freakin kill you..." "Oh look! She's EATING!" They will sting. But it's important to realize that those are not the people you're doing this for- you're not out to impress anyone. Find the people who say supportive things like, "I know you're training really hard and watching what you eat, but we are so glad you came and spent time with us today" and KEEP THEM SO CLOSE!!!
-Hypothyroidism slows progress down. If I want to ever be considered for a prize in the fitness world, I now know I need about 24 weeks of training and impeccable eating. I've seen people change their whole bodies in 12-15 weeks, but mine just takes longer than that.
-Bikini Competitions are not for me. I didn't get in the top 20, but I don't feel bad about it. That's not the thing that would keep me from doing a more intense competition than the classic. It's the fact that eating squeaky clean for more than a few weeks just ended up becoming less and less fun after 6 weeks. I like having the option to choose which nights I will have a drink or two or go out for wings with Mike, and which days I'll eat really well. Eating that well for that long made it hard to keep the bad food in moderation once I *could* eat it again.
I've definitely been struggling with my self-esteem since the competition ended. I've gained some of the weight back, and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who notices it. But I liked feeling super tiny. And I hated feeling deprived and not fun. I go from being really happy and confident in my skin to comparing myself to more slender, fit women. It's so DUMB and I definitely know it... so I'm focusing now on finding a good balance and helping others to do the same. I don't claim to have everything figured out, but through experimenting I'm learning what feels good and what doesn't.
My goals for the moment:
-Help OTHERS reach their goals
-Do Piyo to gain flexibility
-Make 2-3 recipes from Fixate every week
