What I'm Missing (Wednesday)

Oddly enough, I feel lost lately. Without a goal-- i.e., without a competition in the books for the remainder of the year-- I am at a loss of what to write these days. I am passing up the chance to compete this year for good reasons, some of which I will touch on in a moment, but it's hard to blog about fitness when it's become pretty routine for the most part.

I'm a highly analytically person-- sometimes too much so-- so I've had plenty of time for inner reflection on my decision not to compete in bikini this year. Let's assess the reasons:

• Social calendar: When I decided not to compete in 2014, I realized there are a lot of events coming up that I don't want to miss out on--weddings, concerts, festivals, and all that jazz. While I've done it twice before, I don't think I'm up to prepping during this time. I was lucky that there were few events last year that really coincided, but it is a tough balance and raises a lot of questions from strangers. Don't get me wrong, I'm more than willing to answer them, but it gets old, it's a lengthy conversation, and it takes away from other topics of interest. With one of my close sorority sisters getting married at the end of September, I want to celebrate her by celebrating with her.

Lauren (second from the left in the black dress) will be
tying the knot in September! Congrats to her and her fiance!

• Health: I have said it before, and I'll say it again, but I want to make sure that I'm healthy during the prep process. Being that I would be going at this one alone, sans coach, it will be hard to get an objective view on my progress. We all see things in the mirror differently than those around us. A friend might say, "You're looking good," but how so? I might look in the mirror and say, "I don't see much change from last week to now," when I've actually made changes visible to someone with a trained eye. There needs to be defined markers of progress. Health MUST be the main goal (behind winning a stunning trophy) to my next competition prep, and I am keeping that in mind for when I do compete again.

Return of the progress pictures.
...And I need to teach the bf what to look for.

• Physique: Going into a bikini competition without considering physique is like going boating without a boat. It is the competition. You are competing against each of the girls on stage with you. Your physique is competing against each physique on stage with you. If I were to say, "Okay, let's do this-- November competition. Prep starts a week from Saturday," I would have no chance. (By the way, THAT was my tentative plan had I decided to compete in 2014.) I took off-season off. Most competitors work on their problem areas, they bulk, and they still maintain some semblance of a diet/meal plan. I've minded my nutrition for the most part, I've maintained a mostly consistent workout schedule, but I slack off here and there, and I surely haven't been doing any bulking. If anything, the weights that I'm putting up these days are lower than they were pre-comp last year. So hopefully with a new workout partner, we can push each other to perform just a little better each week and eventually I can see all those numbers creep back up (including my weight, which I've maintained although my physique has changed-- sure sign of muscle loss!).

Who really wants to give this up just yet?!

On that last note, keeping sight of these smaller, but equally pertinent, goals is what is keeping me moving forward. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I just need an off day, but not being in prep mode gives me that flexibility. I wrote it down in January, and it went a little by the wayside, but I will be working to improve my glutes and hamstrings before I compete again!

Room for improvement...

...But SO fun (to see the blurry transformation)!