Sunday, May 13, 2012
How Competing in Bikini Improved My Life
I have learned a lot about myself, nutrition, fitness, and health since the beginning of my Bikini journey. When I set a goal in 2010 to do a competition, nothing could stop me from stepping on stage. I trained with 110% effort, ate exactly what I needed to eat to get lean, and practiced strutting around in my heels until I knew without a doubt, that even if I stepped on stage only once that I would there would be no regrets. I knew that if I promised myself nothing less than my very best then I would be happy with the outcome no matter what.
After four shows and two top five placings I accomplished something that I had only dreamed of achieving; becoming a bikini champion!
When they announced my name as the first place winner the feelings that ran through my entire body were feelings I had no idea even existed. After that point, I became hungry for victory. Being victorious is a wonderful feeling and I encourage all of you to commit to something so that at least once in your life you can feel it as well.
While I am still hungry for the gold, for now I have altered my focus a bit. Throughout my training I have discovered a few critical things....not only about myself, but the importance of nutrition. Prior to my commitment to bikini I worked out all the time and lived a pretty healthy lifestyle. In fact I would even go as far as saying that I was healthier and more athletic than the average person at the gym. Yes, I lifted weights, did cardio, and ate my protein. However, I did not realize the importance of understanding how to eat and train for a desired goal. I just enjoyed my workouts and ate yummy "healthy" food.
If I never made the decision to compete in bikini I don't think I would have ever educated myself in understanding the difference in training right not just training hard and eating RIGHT not just "healthy". Taking the time to learn how many calories I need daily, my individual ratio of protein:carbs:fats, and just how much weight lifting vs. cardio my body needed really paid off. Not only did I win bikini competitions but I also learned how to live a healthy, lean, and fit lifestyle. Food is what helped me to lose the weight I wanted to and it's also what causes weight gain when I don't eat correctly. Educating myself in proper nutrition has been the most liberating experience for me. I no longer have to just guess or try different trendy diets. I know what to eat and I know what foods to eat or avoid to either gain, lose, or maintain a specific body composition. That knowledge in itself is victorious.
With that said, I have decided to put my energy into a wonderful program through Dr. Berardi's Precision Nutrition Coaching Certification. I have been studying intensively to further my education in nutrition so that I can help liberate you from the stress and control of food as well.
His program is amazing. It is very scientifically and psychologically based. With this certification I will be able to educate others in building better food habits as well as breaking emotional attachments we have with food. I will also be able to help coach people who want to be lean as a lifestyle rather than an endless extreme diet followed by binges. It is my goal to help women lose fat and do it the healthy way. I am so excited to expand my knowledge in nutrition and adding tools to my tool box for you and my clients.
Competing in Bikini opened my eyes to the importance of nutrition and I am thankful for the experience. I may or may not compete again but if I do I am relieved to know I would need no more than 10-12 weeks to prep for my next show. Knowing what to eat and how to do it healthily is very important in the competitive world. Some girls go extreme and their metabolism gets all out of whack and they end up gaining a lot of the weight back plus some after their show. It is my mission now to educate myself so that I can help women who want to compete. I want to spread the word that you can train smart and eat right and ENJOY PREPPING for a show rather than being miserable, starved, and sick. I also want to be able to help women work into a healthy, lean lifestyle so they can transition back into the non-competitive world and appreciate their body without running themselves into the ground.
My first goal was to compete in a Bikini competition. My new goal is to become certified PN coach so that I can coach women. I will be joining forces in the field of nutrition with my husband, Danny Clark, who already specializes in fitness nutrition and even works with PRO MMA athletes. He did all my nutrition when I competed in Bikini so why wouldn't I want to join his team?
Stay tuned because as I study for my PN coaching certification I will be sharing very important and eye opening nutrition information.
Also, be sure to check out this article about metabolic damage (MD). I thought it was very well written and rang true to me.
http://www.beastblogger.com/?p=1881&fb_source=message
XOXO,
Abby
To read more check out:
"Beauty From The Inside Out"
"The Skinny on Fat"
"Food Made Simple"
"Best Calorie Free Drink Ever"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment