Growth Over the Past Year: What am I Working On?

 I've been wanting to revive this blog for some time. I have used it on and off for many years but I have been missing writing and documenting my journey in fitness (yes, that is ALWAYS what my blog has been and will always be about) and with my journey coming to a head in a different realm than I expected, I decided now is the time. 

If you have read any of my past posts, I have probably referenced a bucket list. I actually had a documented list of things I wanted to do and places I wanted to go. A few years ago I lost that list. I don't know where it went (it was supposed to be on my cloud drive) but it's gone. There have always been fitness-related things on my list, and many have been completed. I competed in a fitness competition for CrossFit, I have run half-marathons and one full marathon (never doing that again, maybe someday I will write a blog about it, but that's in the past). There are still things on there I want to accomplish. 

Pre-pregnancy I had begun a thought process to compete in a body-building competition, figure to be exact. This is not the hugely muscular women but it's also not the bikini ones as they call the base level. It's in the middle, feminine but still strong. It's the way I view myself so I thought it fit. I met with a friend who had begun competing in this area of fitness. This was 2018/2019. 

Shortly after I started this conversation we moved and I got pregnant 1 month after we moved into the new house. So this dream was on hold for a bit. Right before I turned 41 I realized I was not getting any younger, my daughter was almost 3, and now was the right time to see if I could do this. 

In December 2022 I started a journey to build a physique for competition. It's funny because the process is really different than I thought but so very much the exact thing I needed and enjoy. It took about 2-3 months for me to REALLY get into the groove. The beginning was getting used to the structure and the workouts (which are VERY traditional lifting stuff, nothing crazy or hard). Finally, after a couple of months, I was in my groove. 

I don't really know many people this lifestyle is for. That's always been something I have found. My drive for this stuff is unmatched by nearly everyone I meet. There's a handful of people who get it and want the same but it's certainly not the norm. 

I eat the same thing every day. I just got a new diet plan after 9 weeks of eating the same thing, day in and day out. I do the same workouts every week. Consistency is something I love and found I need. I don't want to worry about what I am eating. I know it's eggs, oatmeal, chicken, asparagus, and rice. I drink 120oz of water. I take supplements. I know I won't eat anything else, other than what I am supposed to eat. I had a few slips in the beginning while I was getting in a groove, but now, I am rock solid. I don't deviate. I don't cheat. Why? Because I want to put myself on stage as the best me I can be and if I don't follow the plan exactly, I cannot be my best. I love striving to be my best, in all aspects of life. So you see, this fits. 

Is what I am doing crazy? Probably to many, it is. But for me, it's created a drive that has caused the rest of my life to have a purpose. Work has really flourished and I have proven myself as the result of the process in a way I wasn't sure would come. I have grown as an individual personally and professionally and I know it shows. It's mostly as a result of this process, of finding my love for the process. 

There's a lot to this training and that might be another reason I love it. It keeps me busy, organized, and craving more every week. I see the progress I don't think I have ever seen as an adult. I was NEVER someone who needed to lose weight but as a result of this process, I can see how much better I feel with such a small frame and short height with the weight off. This isn't really about weight loss, but it is a byproduct of the process obviously. I started out at 145lbs. Today, I weighed in at 128.5lbs. I don't know that I have ever been below 130 since I was a kid. 

But here's the thing. I don't look thin. I look strong. I have defined muscles I have never had before. My butt looks good. My arms and shoulders pop. And I am still 13 weeks out from the show. So I cannot wait to see how much more I can grow into this strong, feminine woman I feel like I have always meant to be. My plan is to try to update the blog weekly so please be on the lookout for more. 

Don't forget to chase your dreams and do things for you.