Monthly Archives: April 2015

What am I Supposed to do With Supplements?

General Fitness, Living the Fit Lifestyle, Nutrition/ Diet, , , , , , , , , ,

Hey gang!  Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve posted—I’ve been busy having awesome workouts and eating LOTS of healthy food!  I LOVE offseason!!!  We’re still on track for another show in the Fall.  Bring on the gainz!!!

Tonight I thought I’d talk briefly about supplements.  This is a subject area that most people don’t know a lot about. When taken correctly, supplements can really help you get the most benefit out of your training, help your muscles recover, and keep your energy levels up to keep pushing hard in the gym.  The point of supplements are to “supplement” your nutrition to provide your body with the right nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.  Supplements can include pre and post workouts, BCAAs, proteins, and vitamins, just to name a few.  There are a million different types of supplements, from a million different brands, and it can all be really overwhelming!  I know I was overwhelmed when I first started looking into them.  Where’s a girl to start?!  In true Lipglossandlifting form, I thought I’d break them down for beginners, and what I would suggest you incorporate as basics.  Be forewarned, however, this stuff is expensive.  Be sure to do your research with brands and go with QUALITY.  Supplements are usually cheaper when you buy bigger quantities as well.  We usually buy ours on www.Amazon.com, www.lockoutsupplements.com, or www.bodybuildlng.com.

I buy a lot of supplements!
I buy a lot of supplements!

Multi-Vitamins

I highly suggest a good quality multivitamin to take everyday.  WE don’t get all of the vitamins we need from the food we eat, and a good multi will help keep your immune system up and help with your skin, nails, etc.  I personally use Optiwomen by Optimum Nutrition.  Two a day—easy!  Recently I also incorporated a calcium supplement and Vitamin D supplement as well, since they’re beneficial for women in particular.  Fish Oil or EFA (essential fatty acids) pills are good to take too since they help your body repair, particularly in regard to reducing inflammation and promoting heart health.

Pre-Workouts

Every true gym lover needs a pre-workout!  They are designed to give you an energy boost, improve muscle strength and stamina, therefore helping you get the most benefit out of your weightlifting.  They help you power through like a beast!  Some have caffeine, or stimulants, others don’t.  Creatine is a muscle-building ingredient that many preworkouts have as well, but I would research it before deciding whether or not taking a “pre” with creatine in it is for you.  If you’ve never tried one or are sensitive to caffeine, I would start with BSN’s N.O. explode.  It’s pretty mild, but will definitely help you focus and give you more of a pump after your training.  Some of my favorite pre-workouts are Formulation 1’s, N.O. Explode, and Optimum Nutrition’s Pre-Workout.   These typically run you between $20 and $30.

Post-Workout

Every workout you have is taxing on your body.  It’s super important to give your body the nutrients and protein it needs right after you workout so that your muscles can begin to recover and grow.  The “anabolic window” that you may have heard of is really the 30 minute timeframe after you workout in which is the ideal time to do this.  Branch Chain Amino Acids or BCAAS and protein are the two biggest things your body needs after working out.  BSN has a great product called AminoX that I love!  Optimum Nutrition and Formulation 1 also make great BCAA products.  AminoX Fruit Punch flavor is the absolute best—Shane and I use it EVERY SINGLE workout!  I use it as an intra-workout supplement, and then follow with a protein shake afterwards.  Ideally you need to consume an equal ratio of grams of protein to grams of carbohydrates within your anabolic window too, but I would suggest starting with BCAAs.  There’s another product called Aftershock I used for a long time as a post workout that was pretty good.

Whey Protein

Whey protein is a really easy way to incorporate more protein into your diet.  Most people don’t know this, but to build muscle you really need to be consuming 1- 1 ½ grams of protein per pound of bodyweight a day.  To give you an idea of how much that is, 4oz of chicken has about 25 grams of protein.  See what I meant by eating 5-6 times a day and incorporating protein into each meal??  Protein is the main building block of muscle.  Remember that muscle burns fat, so if you’re really wanting to lose body fat, start eating more protein, lift heavy, and build that muscle!  Whey protein comes in a powder form most often, and you can mix it with either water or almond milk to make it into a shake.  It can be blended or baked too, and you can really get creative with how you incorporate it into your diet.  I usually use Whey protein as a snack, and as my post workout shake with a carbohydrate supplement as well.  Keep in mind that protein also keeps you feeling fuller longer.  Most whey proteins have about 120 calories and 25 grams of protein per serving, and are sugar free with low carbs as well.  My favorites would be Cellucor’s Red Velvet Cake Batter (it tastes like a Sprinkles cupcake!), Optimum Nutrition’s Caramel Toffee Fudge and Birthday Cake, and Dymatize’s Mint Chocolate.  They are all DELICIOUS!  I would never steer you wrong with flavors!!  Whey protein is expensive, so it pays to buy larger quantities.  It stays good a long time, and 5lb container will run you $50-$60, but will have 75 servings or so.

Here's my haul from a recent supplement shopping trip!
Here’s my haul from a recent supplement shopping trip!

Here’s my current “stack” of supplements.  Most people don’t need all of these, but this I thought I’d share mine in case you were curious.

  • Optimum Nutrition Optiwomen Multi
  • Calcium supplement
  • Vitamin D3 supplement
  • MRM Smartblend EFA capsules
  • Hydroxycut Hardcore Elite Fatburner
  • Optimum Nutrition Pre-Workout (Green Apple tastes like a jolly rancher!)
  • BSN AminoX taken while I workout (the Fruit Punch flavor is just fabulous)
  • Post-workout shake with Whey Protein and Glycoject carbohydrate supplement
  • Creatine 2x a day
  • L-Glutamine mixed with pre and post workout supplements
  • I also use whey protein as a snack from time to time
This is part of my daily supplement stack. Lots to take!
This is part of my daily supplement stack. Lots to take!

If any of you have questions or other product recommendations you love I’d love to hear about them!  Feel free to email me at lipglossandlifting@gmail.com.  Happy lifting!

Till next time,

-Mere

So What is this “Clean Eating” Anyway?

Living the Fit Lifestyle, Nutrition/ Diet, Weightloss, , , , , , ,

When I first started working out and making healthier eating choices back in 2012, I kept hearing the term “eat clean” thrown around and I had no clue what it meant.  Did it mean eat organic?  Going vegan?  So, in true Mere form, I researched it.  That was over 3 years ago, and let me tell you, it takes some getting used to, but sticking to eating clean will make a tremendous difference in your life and is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Plus, it will help you drop pounds fast!  It did for Shane and me, and countless others we know, and it will for you too when you are consistent with it. I want to remind everyone that I am not a nutritionist, and I am not a trainer (yet).  However, I hope that I can use my L&L platform to share with all of you what clean eating means to me and how it has helped me on my journey.  This is a topic I am very passionate about, and I’m sorry in advance if I offend anyone, but my mission here is to promote health and fitness, and making healthy food choices is a fundamental part of that.

No matter how long you spend at the gym, you won't get results unless you eat clean.
No matter how long you spend at the gym, you won’t get results unless you eat clean.

We as a society are absolutely BOMBARDED with food propaganda.  Everywhere you look, you’ll see the latest and greatest drive-thru dollar menu special, restaurant deals and steals, or on the flip side the “healthy”, “low calorie” foods begging you to give them a try.  I saw this first hand when literally every freaking commercial I saw on TV while I was slaving away to cardio involved something with food.  It was nuts!  Our obesity rate as a country is higher than it’s ever been, and that doesn’t even include Americans who are overweight.  Nearly 1 out of 3 kids are obese.  It’s a problem that’s getting worse and worse, and is predicted to continue to skyrocket unless we as a society change how we eat.

A brief history lesson for you:  fifty plus years ago, the food landscape in America was a totally different than it is today.  Grocery stores carried staples—produce, meat, dairy and bread;  basically the things that you’d see in the 4 food groups.  Then came the arrival of the “fast food concept” and things totally changed.  People wanted to get food faster, started eating out more, and wanted “convenient foods”.  The business boomed, and here we are in 2015 with an obesity epidemic that is out of control because of how much JUNK is available for people to eat.

“Clean Eating” is essentially the concept of getting back to whole, natural foods.  It means consuming a diet PRIMARILY of plant based foods, protein, and carbohydrates coming from complex carbohydrate and whole grain sources.  Fats come from nuts, nut butters, olive oils, and avocados.  A “clean eater” typically abstains from simple carbohydrates (i.e. the “white carbs”—pasta, bread, chips, corn and flour based foods), sugars, alcohol, and keeps dairy and butter / vegetable oils to a minimum.  It means avoiding “packaged” foods like chips, cookies, packaged meats, frozen dinners, and anything processed or artificial.  Clean Eating also means eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day to keep your metabolism burning and hunger at bay.

I’m not here to judge you and I am not perfect.  I’m human, and I’ll be the first to tell you that I love me some Double Stuff Oreos and that once in a blue moon I’ll go through a drive-thru (Chick-Fil-A for the win!).  However, clean eating is a lifestyle.  I promise you, once you get past the first few weeks, the cravings will subside and you will begin to feel a lot healthier and have much more energy!  Your body will thank you, and you will keep getting healthier and healthier!

Here are some good resources that helped me learn more about the clean eating lifestyle.  Tosca Reno is like the “mother” of clean eating.  All of her books are awesome, but I fell in love with the “Eat Clean Diet”.  The movie “Food Inc.” will make you rethink how and where your food comes from.  HBO’s documentary “Weight of the Nation” is incredibly thought provoking.

I’d like to  share some of our staples that we eat on a daily basis with you — my shopping list if you will.  This is list is not the be-all end-all, but it will give you a good starting point for your clean eating journey.

Here's my haul on a typical trip to the grocery store.
Here’s my haul on a typical trip to the grocery store.

Produce—this makes up about 30% of my cart

  • SALAD, greens, spinach
  • Tomatoes
  • Avocados
  • A mix of fibrous veggies—asparagus, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, green beans, broccoli are our go-tos.
  • Bananas
  • Berries
  • Sweet potatoes and regular potatoes

Meat—this makes up another 30% or so

  • Lean proteins—think white meats. Chicken, ground turkey, white fish (tilapia, mahi mahi, cod).  Try to buy organic or natural if at all possible
  • Lean ground beef (for Shane – he gets a bit more fat than I do and needs more calories)

Grains / Nuts

  • Rice cakes (we get organic brown rice cakes and you can also find flavored rice cakes with low sugar)
  • Brown and white rice
  • Almonds! Emerald has awesome vanilla roasted and cinnamon roasted almonds that I’m absolutely obsessed with.
  • Oats
  • Quinoa
  • Nut butters (be very careful of added sugar – buy the natural versions)

Dairy

  • Nonfat Greek yogurt (plain is best, but you can get flavored as well – if you by flavored yogurt, be cognizant of the sugar content)
  • Eggs (try to go organic here too, or cage free at the very least)
  • Egg whites (cage free or organic)
  • Almond milk

Here are the “rules” I typically recommend for beginners. I’m not an expert, and this is just a general overview of clean eating, so you’ll need to do additional research.

  • Stick to NATURAL, nutrient dense foods. If it has a long ingredient list, comes in a box, or could be found on the center aisles of the grocery store (and isn’t listed above) it’s probably not very “clean”.  If it wasn’t around in 1945, it’s probably not real food or “clean”. I need to make one important caveat – there are certain processed foods like Quest bars and protein powders that serve an important purpose for athletes. However, if you don’t work out a lot or you aren’t trying to add muscle mass, then you probably don’t need those types of food.
  • Shop the perimeter of the store—here’s where you’ll find the produce, meats, and dairy.
  • Avoid alcohol and consuming empty calories in sodas, juices, etc.
  • Avoid baked goods and packaged goods. Also avoid breads, pastas, and chips, etc.
  • Cook at home more!!!
  • Aim to eat 5-6 small meals a day.

Lastly, be careful of foods that are supposed to be “healthy” i.e. low fat cookies, or baked chips, or low-cal yogurts and ice creams, etc.  They are often laden with added sugar, salt and chemicals, and they don’t provide much nutrition for their caloric values.  You’ll find that when you eat “packaged” foods, you’re hungrier more often because the carbohydrates are “simple” and digest quickly, and cause spikes in blood sugar leading to more cravings and hunger.  Also, there’s virtually no protein in them (protein also keeps your hunger at bay and is the main nutrient needed for building muscles).

Eating clean doesn't mean bad food. Tell me this breakfast doesn't look awesome!
Eating clean doesn’t mean bad food. Tell me this breakfast doesn’t look awesome!

My email address is lipglossandlifting@gmail.com.  I am SO HAPPY to answer questions and help you get started on the “clean eating” path.  Once you have been eating clean for about a month (the cravings will go away, I promise!), you’ll wonder how you ever ate any differently and your body will thank you for fueling it properly!  You can still enjoy eating out and “cheat” foods in moderation, and you will find that you crave them less and appreciate them more.  Plus, clean eating is a requirement to get big and strong muscles!

Till next time,

-Mere

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming… sort of.

Contest Prep, Living the Fit Lifestyle, , , , , , , , , , , ,

I have officially decided that I am a creature of habit.  Yes, I love traveling and being spontaneous, but 90% of my day-to-day life (at least the Monday through Friday part) is spent with work, eating, sleeping, and working out.  Throw some TV watching and some Junior League in there and that’s pretty much it.  And I’m okay with that!  I have a great job, great friends that also pretty much have the same routine, pretty awesome family, and it makes for a relatively drama free life.  New Orleans and Florida were awesome, but I am so glad to be back in my routine!  Let’s not forget—this is the first week in 3 weeks that I haven’t gone out of town!  I don’t know how jetsetters do it.

That said, I was finally able to meet with the “boss” a.k.a. my coach Saturday, and debrief about the show.  It felt so good to have some encouragement and reassurance both from him and my teammates that what I had been thinking and feeling and, more importantly, what my body was doing the last couple of weeks was totally normal.  Coach and I were both were on the same page—I needed a few months to really develop some muscle and work on my legs more in order to bring the total package to my next show.  If you take into consideration another 12-week prep, that would put us into the fall show lineup.  In an ideal world, at least 3-4 months is needed to put on muscle and “bulk”.  So, as of right now, we’ve picked either the NPC True Strength Games on September 26th or the NPC Texas Fall Classic on November 7th.  One is just 23 weeks out (giving me only 11 to bulk!) and the other is 29 weeks out, which would give me 17 weeks to bulk.  More than likely, we’ll go with the November show, but the September one is a possibility.  Ideally, I’d like to try to do both, but we’ll see.  If I did both, I would have 2 chances to get NQ’d which means (nationally qualified) for next year.  The True Strength Games would also be a cool show to do, because a year ago it was the first bodybuilding competition I ever went to.  It’d be pretty neat to return to the True Strength Games as a competitor just one year later!

This meal is on plan during the off season. Yay!
This meal is on plan during the off season. Yay!

In any case, now that it’s “off season” my focus is to EAT and GROW!  This is the fun part!!  I can focus on lifting heavy, and making sure that I’m eating all of my food.  Cheat meals are back—HELLO!  My diet has changed considerably.  I’m now doing 5 meals a day instead of 6, and I have a higher percentage of my calories coming from carbs and fat in order to get the right macros to build muscle.  The water weight bloat is slowly coming off.  I’m now 8 pounds above stage weight, and could see 4 of my abs yesterday!  Thank goodness I’m getting back to normal!!  My coach advised me that in 2 weeks, I’d have a much better representation of what my “off season” body will look like, and I’ll likely be a lot happier with how I’m looking physically. He also said that it usually takes your body and metabolism 4-6 weeks (without a trip in there!) to get back to normal and recover after a contest prep.  Have I mentioned how much you really should have a good coach if you’re going to compete?  My workout split (or schedule) has changed too.  I now have 2 off days (WHAT?!?!) and I am lifting 4 days a week, plus a fifth that can be circuit training or hot yoga, plus I’m slowly tapering off on the cardio as well.  Hooray for spending the Summer building muscles!  I see some pool time in my future!!

This is a whole new chapter of my journey.  To be honest, I had to sort of do a mental check earlier this week.  Sure, a lot of competitors just do one show… and that’s fine.  But for me, this new diet and new routine are taking me to the next level.  It’s exciting but it also makes me nervous.  I’m human—the nasty, negative side of me was rearing it’s ugly head, and negative thoughts were creeping in.  What if I screw up? What if I can’t build muscle fast enough?  What will I look like?  Will I get fat?  What if I lose?  What if I’m not strong enough?  Then, I reassured myself and said “Self. You’ve already proven you are strong, you are capable, and you are building YOUR body.  Not anyone else’s.  Let’s do this!”

I have to eat all of the food!
I have to eat all of the food!

This is a process.  Bodybuilding is more than a sport;  it’s a lifestyle.  Prep is more than just 12 weeks;  it’s making the choice every meal and every workout,  and committing to a goal and making healthy choices every day that get you closer to that goal.  I’m so glad that I have shared my journey here and on Instagram because it motivates me and encourages me to see how far I’ve come!  I’m so excited to see how much I grow inside and out these next 6 months.  Remember, the outside changes are just an indicator of the changes happening mentally and emotionally as well.

Till next time,

-Mere

Worst Idea Ever

Contest Prep, Living the Fit Lifestyle, , , , , , , , , , , ,

So, going on vacation right after the show was definitely not my brightest idea.  As I mentioned in my last post, the “post show shenanigans” started right after the show.  I had a burger, fries, a cocktail, cake (oh my God, the cake was so ridiculously good), then Sunday it was brunch with mimosas, some treats on the drive home….I had worked hard and earned it, right?

Sort of. Going into the week after the show, I knew that my body would be adjusting as I transitioned off of a very strict, clean, structured diet, and I had several fellow competitors, my coach, and friends all tell me that I’d put on a few pounds of water weight (hopefully mostly water weight) quickly, but I still thought “No way, I’ll be fine!!  Not me—I’ve got the metabolism of a genetic super freak, I can handle it!”

During Peak Week, my coach gave me a reverse diet and reverse cardio plan to adhere to after the show. He knew that I was leaving Wednesday after the show to celebrate my birthday in New Orleans, and we both knew that I wouldn’t really be on plan the entire trip, but I went into it with good intentions!  I would enjoy myself “in moderation”.  Monday I did my 30 minutes of moderate cardio like a good girl, and I ate on plan!  The Girl Scout cookies and crap I bought at Buc-cee’s went to work where someone else would eat them, and then came Tuesday.  I did the cardio, ate on plan most of the day, then had an amazing birthday dinner with my friends at my favorite Mexican restaurant with a couple of skinny margaritas and of course birthday cake… and beer afterwards!

Happy birthday to me!
Happy birthday to me!

Needless to say, by Wednesday night after our first day of New Orleans deliciousness, my feet were looking pretty swollen, and I could tell that I was definitely carrying A LOT of water.  By Thursday, I felt like Jabba the Hutt, and was starting to resemble him as well.  What the hell was going on?!?!  We were easily walking 6-7 miles a day, and I did cardio on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, but the combination of alcohol, sugar, fat, and carbs, was making my body go into a tailspin.

Hand Grenade away!
Hand Grenade away!
I'm a cool customer with my classic cocktail and killer shades.
I’m a cool customer with my classic cocktail and killer shades.

By Sunday afternoon I was literally WADDLING around the French Quarter, absolutely miserable.  My legs, feet, and ankles hurt from how swollen they were.  This was a bad situation.  Mentally I was feeling pretty good, just exhausted and kind of a little checked out.  I was enjoying myself and letting my mental and physical self just recoup a little bit.  We got back to Dallas Sunday night, and I was “good again” Monday and Tuesday.  I ate on plan—lots of protein, veggies, and good carbs—did my cardio and got lifting in too.!  I was starting to feel better, but in just a week, my body looked COMPLETELY different from how it did on stage.  I was embarrassed and self-conscious, and so discouraged.  Had I really just undone in 6 days what it took me 6 months to work for?  I could not stop Googling post-show bloat, weight gain, and rebound articles.  How long would this last??  Would it ever go away? Was I destined to be a fat cow?

An accurate representation of me in New Orleans!
An accurate representation of me in New Orleans!
Hello there cankles!
Hello there cankles!

Wednesday I left for Fort Lauderdale for a work trip, and brought my egg whites and oats to eat on the plane, and a couple of Quest bars and peanut butter for snacks.  I was only going to be gone 36 hours, but I didn’t want to do any more damage.  Wednesday night was dinner and more drinks with our executive team and then I headed back to Dallas on Thursday afternoon.  It was a great trip, but boy was I ready to get back in my routine!!!

Prior to my show, I knew that my metabolism would be in a funk right after the show.  Your body gets so depleted and dehydrated, to look “stage ready” for a matter of hours, and it is impossible to keep that conditioning for very long.  And it’s not healthy!  The problems come because (A) you will engage in post-show binging where you allow yourself to eat foods that had been so restricted for so long, and (B) your body will not be able to handle or know how to deal with all of the extra calories and carbs that you are consuming and therefore your body will turn it to excess water weight and body fat.  I was lucky because I had a couple of cheat meals during my prep, but I really think that it was the booze that did me in.  I had gone 12 weeks without it, and although we didn’t go crazy in NOLA, my body just didn’t know how to process it.  My saving grace was probably all the walking we did and sticking to my cardio.  That and trying to be at least somewhat healthy with what I ate on the trip. A po-boy with a salad instead of fries is a good swap, right?  The hardest part though is the mental part that comes with this.  You beat yourself up and think, “wow, two weeks ago I looked completely shredded and was in the best shape I’ve ever been in and now I’m a fat ass…  cool.”  It’s very discouraging.  VERY discouraging.

THIS. IS. WHY. I. GOT. FAT.
THIS. IS. WHY. I. GOT. FAT.
Gooey deliciousness. Oh so good!
Gooey deliciousness. Oh so good!

Yes, a week of eating and drinking and two trips had definitely taken a hit on my body, and I looked as bad as I felt.  The good news, though, was that I knew what it would take to get it back.  Get back in gym, and starting feeding my body with the right fuel.  As I write this, I’m 10 pounds above stage weight.  Is it all fat?  No, likely not, but some of it definitely is, and it’s not the end of the world.  I will work it off as my body readjusts.  Every day gets better.  But, I know that I will NEVER go on vacation right after a show again.  You need to have control over your diet as you reintroduce foods and recover from contest prep, and being out of town makes it really difficult to do that.  Clean eating and training has now become a lifestyle for me.  I feel better when I exercise and eat the right foods.  It’s not about just competing, or doing it for one show and then letting it all go to waste.  Bodybuilding is about building your body—physically, emotionally, and mentally.  I am ready to move forward and build an even better me.   Oh there’s my wagon!  I’m hopping back on.

Till next time!

-Mere

So this is what this feels like…

Contest Prep, , , ,

I should have written this post sooner after the show.  It was just a week and a half ago, but it already feels like much longer.  Needless to say, I’ve been a little pre-occupied with a birthday and a trip to New Orleans.  Lesson learned—don’t EVER go on vacation right after a show.

I’ll write more on the “post-show” aftermath in my next post, but I know all of you are probably anxiously waiting to hear about what the show was actually like!  So that’s what we’ll talk about in this post!

We headed to Houston Friday morning—I spent most of Thursday night packing and meal prepping (literally I was elbow deep in chicken and sweet potatoes!) since my diet was pretty different the day before and day of the show.  It was more work to pack all the food than it was to pack for the weekend!  Nerves and excitement were building.  I had finished out Peak Week and made it!  Holy freaking crap—this was really happening.

I got my number and competitor pass.
I got my number and competitor pass.

I remember going to get a mani/pedi Thursday night, after I had met with my coach for a final posing class and pep-talk before  we left for Houston.  That’s when the nerves really set in, but really that’s the only time I got nervous!  Well that, and right before I went onstage! J

We made it all the way to Houston, stopped at Buc-ee’s on the way of course!  After several stops to heat up my chicken and/or steak, we checked-in and got settled into the hotel.  Friday was a busy afternoon of tanning, athlete check-in, eating, and more tanning.  The excitement kept building and I was over the moon!

There were almost 1,000 athletes competing at the 2015 Phil Heath—it was nuts!  This was the biggest show in NPC history.  Go big or go home, right?  By Friday night I had my competitor badge, dark sheets on the hotel bed, 2 coats of oompa-lompa tan and a lot of carbs with very little water.  Saturday morning came early—I had makeup at 5:55am, followed by a 3rd coat of tan, and I had to be at the venue at 7:30 to pick up my competitor number (eeek!), then I went back to the hotel for hair, then back to the venue to wait until it was time to go on stage.  It was a very busy morning that turned into a day of mostly waiting around in sweats, resting, and eating.  I was very glad though that I (a) had purchased a duffel bag with wheels at Sam Moon to haul all my stage crap around in, (b) had a 6 Pack bag to carry all my food and keep it cool (every other female competitor apparently had the same idea with bringing the pink one too!) and (c) brought EVERYTHING I needed for the day.  Shane of course was with me the whole time, mostly waiting, and keeping me company.  It was great to have girls from my Team there who were also competing, but we barely saw each other because of the scheduling and chaos with SO. MANY. PEOPLE.  Did I mention there were nearly 1,000 athletes, plus their entourages, plus vendors?  Needless to say the Bayou Music Center was CRAZY.

Relaxing in the hallway before taking the stage.
Relaxing in the hallway before taking the stage.

Before I knew it, it was time to go on stage!!!!  That was definitely my WTF moment! Because of the number of athletes, and the chaos of trying to coordinate getting 1,000 people on and off the stage, the backstage process was a little confusing, but I made it through just fine.  Here’s the scoop— I had to stuff my face with rice cakes, peanut butter, and honey (delicious but messy!), touchup my makeup, and get my jewelry and heels on all in a matter of minutes.  That part was an absolute blur!  It felt really real when I put on my sparkly jewelry, and got my glaze, bikini bite, and tan touchups.  Again, also a blur considering I was one of the last ones to get in line! Thankfully my coach could go backstage with me to keep me calm, walk me through the pumping up part and practice posing before I went on.  One of my favorite parts of the day was him just telling me to give him lateral raises and curls with my resistance band.  “Just give me lateral raises, nice and easy”—just like I had heard him say time and time before when we had trained in the gym.  My heart was beating out of my chest, but somehow that calmed me down.  There were so many girls—I looked better than some, and some were absolutely just shredded.  But, we were all there in support of each other and all proud of what we had accomplished just to get to that point.  I have to say, I got teary when I could see my biggest fan and supporter, Shane, peaking at me from a curtain and blowing me kisses just before I went on stage since he was in the front row.  Definitely got a little teary.   I got to the stairs to the stage, the NPC officials were running us through what to do, and there we were.

As soon as I stepped across that stage, I could feel how big my smile was on my face.  I was so excited, so proud, so confident, that I just did my best and posed like I had 1,000 times in the last six months.  It was over in about 15 seconds, but man was it freaking AWESOME!  I stood in the diagonal line to the side when I had finished my model turns, and gave the judges my best “pick me, pick me!” face!

My first time on stage!!!
My first time on stage!!!

I got to First Call outs!  The head judge starts rattling off numbers.  I knew if I didn’t make First Call outs Novice (which was the only “alone” time I would get with the judges) that there was no way I would make them in Open.  Yes, it was just a goal, but damn I really wanted to get First Call Outs at my first show.  Then I heard, “Competitor 174!”  I was the last number called for First Call outs.  There are only a few other times in my life I can remember being that freaking proud of something I had worked my ass off for.  Getting into TCU, getting hired at both companies I’ve worked for, and this.  This takes the cake for sure.  I strutted out to the front line and did my quarter turns like nobody’s business.  There were easily 25+ girls in Novice class B, and I had just made the top 7.  At the biggest show in NPC history.  Holy freaking crap.  Yeah, I may have been the last one called in Novice but who freaking cares—I got FIRST CALL OUTS!!!!!  I then went back on stage for Figure Open, where there were ALOT more girls (not sure, but I think closer to 35 or 40) and was the first girl they called out for 2nd Call Outs, which means I had made the top 10.  Not too shabby for a girl’s first rodeo!

First Call Outs!
First Call Outs!

We finished up onstage (all of maybe 5 or 10 minutes but it felt like 15 or 20!) and I headed to the audience to hug my coach and hug Shane.  They were both so ridiculously proud!  I was too.  Now it was time to wait until Finals that night.  We knew that the top 5 Competitors in Figure Novice Class B would get medals, and it would be tough for me to get a medal since I had likely come in 6th or 7th based on when I had been called out in prejudging, but I had to remind myself (all damn day) that I wasn’t doing this for a medal.  I had already won just by getting on that stage and had gotten what I came for, First Call Outs!  Most of the day was spent eating, resting, and watching other competitors.  We didn’t leave the venue because it would have just been too much of a hassle, so in total were there from 9am until about 10pm.  Long freaking day!

I did it!
I did it!
Coach and I posing after the night show!
Coach and I posing after the night show!

Some of our closest friends made the drive to cheer me on at finals that night and I was super excited to see them!  They were all thrilled to see me and cheer me on as well, and it meant the world to me to have them there!!!  All of the Facebook posts and texts and messages and well wishes from other friends and family encouraged me more than you can imagine.  It was such a great weekend!

Me and the gang enjoying a post show champagne!
Me and the gang enjoying a post show champagne!

After hours of waiting, finals finally came, and although I didn’t bring home hardware, I was still really excited and proud of my journey.  It was time to celebrate!!!  We went back to the hotel, and my fan club had surprised me with cake, champagne, and the cutest little tote back of goodies.  We took some great pictures, and I changed clothes to head downtown for a burger and a craft cocktail!  It was 11pm so our options were limited, but my post-show party was a low-key night with great friends at a cute little gastropub in Downtown Houston.  I went to bed that night (after nearly falling asleep in the shower from sheer exhaustion since I had been up almost 22 hours at that point) an incredibly happy girl who couldn’t wait to get back on that stage.

Food!!! AND Drinks!!!
Food!!! AND Drinks!!!
My biggest fan and I!
My biggest fan and I!

Till next time,

-Mere