So much to catch you guys up on! Last weekend was AMAZING!!! I had the privilege of attending Nicole Wilkins’ Phat Camp. Best. Weekend. Ever. In case you’ve been living under a rock and don’t know who Nicole is, she’s a 4x Ms. Figure Olympia Champ. Basically that means she’s the best Figure competitor in the world. Also a renowned trainer, Nicole has set the benchmark for Figure competitors worldwide, and has gained a huge following of fans that love her social media and website posts of helpful fitness and nutrition tips and videos. A few weekends a year, she travels to cities here in the U.S. and abroad and hosts Phat Camp, a women-only fitness retreat where ladies at all fitness levels competitors and non-competitors alike can train with her, learn all about nutrition in Q&A seminars, build relationships with each other, and learn from one of the best Figure competitors in the sport of Bodybuilding.
I’ve looked up to Nicole since I started weightlifting a few years ago. Her physique is INCREDIBLE, but she’s also humble, classy, smart, and down to earth. I’m a member of her website, and have learned SO much from her! Needless to say, I had been looking forward to meeting her at Phat Camp since the moment I found out she was coming to Dallas! This weekend absolutely exceeded all of my expectations. Not only was it incredible to meet Nicole in person (she said I was pretty!!!! J) but it was so inspiring to meet so many amazing women who love fitness and nutrition as much as I do! Even though we are all at different places in our fitness journeys, we all worked out together, laughed together, and learned together all weekend long. This weekend just confirmed for me that I really am passionate about this lifestyle, and I love seeing others become encouraged and motivated by that too. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a camp with Nicole GO! This weekend just motivated me to push through the rest of the last few weeks of this prep and do my best at these shows!
It’s hard to believe my first show of the season is just over 3 weeks away! HOLY COW!!!!!!!! I’m feeling really pretty good about my conditioning, and so is my coach, which is good! Still not where I want to be completely, but it takes YEARS to develop a muscular physique like the elite Figure pros have. I am constantly reminding myself of that. I should be proud of how much work I’ve put in so far and the improvements I’ve made since last year. When I constantly compare myself to others (damn Instagram!) it really screws with my head and can be a total buzzkill. That’s when the nerves set in. When I focus on just MY progress, it’s much easier to feel confident and prepared for that stage.
Things are progressing quickly—it’s really the last 5 weeks of a prep where you see the most change. My weight’s still staying pretty stable. I’m at 133 and change now, from 141 when I started, so that’s good! Energy levels are still pretty awesome, and I’m taking things day by day. I’m still not having crazy cravings like I did last year, and I’m not a total zombie on my low-carb days- thank goodness! I don’t feel like I’m missing out on a ton. Sure a glass of wine and a patio, some Mexican food, and a brownie all sound pretty damn good right now, but don’t they always sound good? As far as the game plan goes, Easter is this weekend (and Batman vs. Superman), my photo shoot with Jay Fuertez (YAY!) is next weekend (which coincidentally is also my birthday weekend) so I’m getting everything ready for that, and then it’s PEAK WEEK! So really just two more weeks, plus the week before the show which is a piece of cake. See, it’ll be here before I know it!
It’s not about winning. I repeat. IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT WINNING. The show itself is a celebration of hard work, discipline, commitment, and accomplishment. Every competitor up there has worked their ass off for their 12 seconds in the spotlight. It takes some serious BALLS to get up there in less than a square foot of fabric!! I have a great support group around me, and regardless of what happens at these 3 shows, I’m already a winner for getting up there.
Till next time,
-Mere