Hey y’all!  I cannot BELIEVE I’m already over halfway through this Prep!  As of this upcoming weekend I am JUST SIX WEEKS OUT from the stage!!  If you’ve been following my Instagram and social media posts, you’ve seen how much fun this Prep has been!  Honestly, it’s my 4^th one, but hands down my best and easiest to date.  I think a big part of what made this one so much smoother from the beginning is that I had a GREAT almost 8 month offseason from my last show in August 2017, before starting this Prep in early April.  As you know, I like to take at least 6-8 months to grow in between competition seasons.  It helps me have balance, helps my body recover, and most importantly gives me TIME to grow muscle and sculpt my physique.  This was my first full offseason with my coach Joe, and boy did we do work!  I started this Prep about 15 pounds heavier than the start of last year’s Prep, but LEANER!!!  You can’t ask for better than that!  I stayed on my nutrition plan, trained HARD, enjoyed my treats and drinks, etc., but made some major improvements!

I’m super excited because this will be my first National competition.  This is where you can earn a Pro card (IFBB Professional—the elite of elite bodybuilders) by placing in the TOP TWO of your height class.  It’s a big deal, and I’ll be competing at the NPC USAs in Las Vegas July 29^th.  I’m freaking stoked!!  It’s hard to say how big my class size will be, but probably somewhere between 15-25 ladies.  To qualify for a national NPC show, you have to place first or second in your height class at an amateur or local show, which I’ve done the last two years, however, I didn’t want to compete at the national level until I felt like I was where I needed to be with my size and conditioning to be able to really compete for that Pro card.  A lot of people ask me why I want to go Pro, or what that means.  For me, it means being able to compete with the best of the best, and being able to compete internationally.  There are IFBB shows in so many countries and locations, it’s amazing!  There are also a lot of sponsorship and networking opportunities when you compete at that level, and of course, the opportunity to compete at the Olympia if you win a show as a Pro, or qualify with enough points—that would be the ultimate dream come true!!!

So to catch y’all up on the last 9 weeks.  Honestly the first few weeks were pretty much normal for me.  Minimal cardio, no cheat meals (at least for like the first two weeks), no drinking, no sweets.  Those are pretty much off the table during Prep.  HOWEVER, I did get sushi three Saturdays in a row per Coach’s orders last month, which was AWESOME!!  I wasn’t even doing any post-workout cardio until about 10 or 11 weeks out, and I started at 16 weeks out with just 30 minutes of fasted.  That’s a breeze with our AMAZING Stairmaster that lives upstairs—IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!!!!!!!! (insert all the praisehand emojis here)  My strength has been pretty stable and good in the gym, a little tired, but cravings really haven’t been that bad.

The diet for me is pretty much the same foods year around, just different amounts of carbs and varying amounts of fats, but I eat the same foods in and out of season.  Luckily I love green leafy salads and vegetables because those are always staples in Prep!!  What gets me through it?  Crystal Light, sparkling water, diet sodas, cucumbers with Truvia, sugar free jello, lots of coffee, and naps 😊

Last week we started depleting me pretty hard, so very few carbs and lots more cardio, but I’m honestly okay.  Like I have with every other Prep, I take it one day, one meal, one workout at a time.  The meals and cardio sessions and workouts turn into days, which turn into weeks gone by and before you know it it’s show time!  It’s been a lot of fun comparing pictures from last year to this year.  I’m really proud of the work we’ve put in so far—it takes a village for sure.  My Coach, Shane, our amazing squad of awesome friends at our gym, and the support of friends and family near and far, it all makes this so much fun and rewarding.

Sadly, we did lose our sweet Corgi, Camden, Memorial Day weekend.  After a tough battle with prostate cancer, he let us know that it was his time to go.  It was awful and so very very sad.  He was the best dog.  We got him when we were engaged, and losing a dog that you’ve loved and raised together for 12 years is just gutwrenching.  We were heartbroken, but thankful that we could spend time loving on him and making memories with him until it was his time to go.  We love and miss you Camden!!!

Other than that, we’re just enjoying life to the fullest!  I’m a firm believer that Prep is what you make of it.  I choose to see the positive, embrace the struggle, have fun inspite of bringing my own food and saying no to other food at events, etc. and just make Prep as fun as it can be!

I’ll definitely try to post more often as we wind down the last few weeks of this Prep—it’s gonna be a fun ride to Vegas!

Till next time,

-Mere

Hey y’all!  It’s hard to believe my 2017 contest season just finished!  It was AWESOME to say the least.  This was the first year that I have done two shows back to back.  Tricky, and difficult, yes, but I’m so glad I stuck it out another three weeks to do a second show!  I also had a new coach, and so everything leading into Peak Week (and now reverse dieting into off-season) was and is totally new and exciting.  I’ll catch you guys up on what happened at both shows, and what the plan is moving forward!

The NPC Texas Legends Championship was my first show of the year, and it was held August 5^th in Dallas.  Although it hasn’t been around that long, it was promoted by Branch Warren and has always been pretty good size.  I went into it excited, and confident, and honestly my only goal was to get Nationally Qualified at one or both of my shows this year, so that was it.  Although I came with my absolute BEST package to date, and I was super excited to see how things played out.  Peak Week went off without a hitch, and my body responded (like it had all Prep) right on target—we were ready to roll!  Long story short, there were six ladies in a very competitive Class B.  The top three were SHREDDED.  It was a super stacked class!  I ended up being placed right at the end in prejudging, so honestly I had no clue until finals where I stood, but we were pretty sure it would be in the bottom three.  I unfortunately ended up coming in in last place (6^th out of 6).  It sucked.  I mean really sucked.  I knew I likely wouldn’t make top three given the conditioning of the other girls in my class, but I really wanted that top 5 for the NQ, especially given that there were only six in my class.  Being the only one in the class to walk off stage without any hardware or trophy after working SO HARD for 16 weeks was so disappointing.  You can’t go into expecting to win or to walk away with an NQ, but when you don’t understand why someone who was less conditioned and smaller than you places two spots higher, it’s really disheartening.  But either way, we learned from it, and like I mentioned in previous social media posts, I chose to be positive about it and be thankful for the experience.  So many great athletes and champions have been in similar situations, and the best thing you can do is to learn from it, and take it with grace and a smile.  Like I’ve said before, bodybuilding is a VERY subjective sport.  It’s difficult to do, but if you can keep the focus as much as you can on YOU VS. YOU regardless of whether you win or lose at a show, as long as you’re constantly improving (inside and out!) then it’s always a win.  Luckily I was able to talk with one of the judges who was super nice with feedback, and he basically said I had a great package (specifically a well developed back and shoulders) and a lot of potential, but that it really came down to (as we know) conditioning in my lower body, specifically my hamstrings and quads.

Fast forward through some much needed pizza and breakfast at our favorite breakfast spot, it was back on plan and back to work for another three weeks (really two weeks plus peak week) until the next show, August 26^th.  This was harder than I thought it’d be.  I was physically and mentally exhausted, and could feel the depletion and the toll all of the cardio and training was taking on my body.  I ended up only training 5x a week (instead of my usual six) and taking two rest days both weeks after Legends.  I needed it!  The last thing we wanted was for me to get sick or hurt.  I can’t stress how important it is to listen to your body and know when you need rest!  It was a challenge every day to push through my cardio, and keep giving 110%.  The mental demons and self-doubt were non-stop too because of what happened at Legends.  I was so fearful and scared of coming in last place again.  It really messed with my head!  I’m so thankful though that I have such an amazing support system around me.  Shane, my friends, my coach, and my gym family rallied around me and I was ready to CRUSH that stage for the Johnnie Jackson.  It was a long two weeks but Peak Week finally came!

As we all know, bodies do weird things.  Especially when they’re under stress, or are dehydrated, or are dropping or gaining weight quickly.  All of which happen right before and right after a show.  I held a few pounds of water weight (totally normal) from the post show goodies and rehydrating process, so we knew going into the 2^nd show that we’d need to make some tweaks to my diet and I would need to take diuretics sooner to help dry me out.  No biggie.  It makes your joints feel weird when you rehydrate, but getting “dried out” isn’t so bad until the last 36 hours or so before show time and the day of the show when you get like NO WATER.  It sucks!!  But, Joe also completely changed my diet and I basically was eating tons of cod, asparagus, and red potatoes for two weeks straight.  It tightened me up a TON, but needless to say I am on a sabbatical from those three foods until further notice!!  Hashtag I was sprouting gills and turning green!! LOL!!  It was finally time to get tanned up and glammed up to hit the stage again.  I was READY!  Peak Week went by without a hitch, and we knew that I was going into this show tighter and better than I had been at Legends three weeks before.  I even got a burger and fries the night before the show!!  Woohoo!!

Fast Forward to show day.  I knew it would be a smaller show, but there were 5 girls in my class this time, and they all still looked pretty good!  I was calm, cool, and collected, and had a blast getting ready and pumping up backstage with my girlfriends from Field House.  It was so much fun to be there with our squad!  We truly encouraged and supported each other through our Preps, and it was so sweet to be able to share the journey with each other.  It was finally time to go on stage—with where I was in the lineup of 5, I ended up being right in the middle during comparison rounds.  We went through all of our quarter turns—the judges moved a couple of the girls around, and one of the funniest most surreal moments was when I had to double check my number to make sure that I had to stay and the middle!  Apparently my face said it all and I had an ear to ear smile on stage!  I could see and hear my friends, and Shane, and my family cheering for me—prejudging was over, and yours truly was front and center. It was AMAZING!!!

As I got of stage—I felt just a rush of adrenaline!  Holy shit.  I was in the middle!  I WAS IN THE BOX THE WHOLE TIME!!!  I knew that I would either be in first or at worst second place, and getting NQ’d for next year was a given since there were only five in my class.  So I could rest easy in that and just enjoy the rest of the day without a care in the world!  I couldn’t wait to find Shane and my coach and celebrate!!  I found my crew and we were all THRILLED!  Although you don’t know anything until Finals are over, we were all pretty confident that I was in a really good spot.  We had burgers and fries at Chophouse Burgers (gotta keep the muscles full yo!) a few bites of sweet treats, and came home to rest until it was time to head back to the venue for Finals.  We finally got to Figure judging, and it was time to go back on stage!  I didn’t believe it until they called my name, but I CAME IN FIRST PLACE AND WON MY CLASS!!!!!!!!!  It was truly an amazing feeling—I can’t even put it into words.  Everything had come full circle, and I finally knew what it felt like to EARN what I worked so hard for for so long.  I loved competing before– the process of Prep, the discipline, the rush of the stage, the sparkle and tan and the attention and everything that goes into it, but MAN winning takes it to a whole other level!  I was so excited and so so happy that all of my hard work paid off—especially after being at the bottom in last place at the show just 21 days before.  Ultimately I came in second overall, which just blows my mind!  I was THRILLED!!!  The girl that won Figure Overall looked incredible and was so sweet!  The judges even moved me and the Overall winner around, so to even have some comparison there was just awesome!  After lots of hugs and pictures and smiles and cookie cake, we left Will Rogers and headed to a delicious Mexican feast at Pappasito’s.  It was such a fun night, and one that I’ll remember forever!

I’ll end by saying this.  It’s never just about the trophy for me.  Competing for me is and will always be a competition of me vs me first and foremost.  Of course I have goals and aspirations of how I want to continue to shape and mold my physique and where I’d like to go in the sport, but it’s a journey and it takes time to build muscle and get that kind of conditioning.  Joe and I have decided we’re absolutely doing at least one National show next year, which is SUPER exciting, and depending on the schedule and how I look/feel, we might even shoot for two.  Honestly I’d really like to do another bigger Texas show like Europa or maybe the Phil Heath again to see how I do in a larger, more competitive class.  I’ve got several months of growing to do, so for now we’re focusing on making the most out of my post-show anabolic stage—the first few weeks after being stage lean when you load up on food and start to fill up your muscles again are where you can really make some major gains and progress!  In just three weeks, I’m already seeing some major strength increases and just like my other preps, I put on some pounds quickly, but make gains quickly too.   Hooray for off-season where you get to eat all the food and lift all the things!

It’s all about the growth inside and out, ALWAYS.  Thank you all so so so much again for following and supporting me in my bodybuilding journey.  I’m so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life, and I’m so happy to be able to share my love of training and fitness and nutrition with you all.  Here’s to crushing more goals and getting even better!

Till next time,

-Mere

Hey y’all!  I cannot BELIEVE we’re this far into summer and I’m only 4 WEEKS OUT from my next show!  It went by sooooo fast!  You know how it goes—you just kind of get in robot mode and your days go something like cardio eat, work, eat, work, eat, work, eat, gym, cardio, eat, sit on your ass, eat, sleep, repeat.  I’ve been bad at updating all of you on the blog, but honestly things are going so well!  I love my new coach, and it has been so awesome to have my body respond perfectly this go around, especially compared to last year. Yes, I’m a little tired, a lot hungry, but all in all, my energy levels have been really high all 12 weeks into this thing!  I’m so ready to crush these last few weeks and strut some tanned muscles on that stage!  I’m 100% confident it will be my absolute best package to date and I can’t wait to see the final results of all my hard work!

I frequently get asked and approached by girls (and guys) picking my brain about what it’s like to compete, and what advice I have for those thinking about competing.  I’ve put a lot of thought into this, considering this is now my third Prep and it’s almost complete, and have compiled the list below.  I’m by no means an expert at bodybuilding or competing, but there’s not a whole lot of information online from experienced competitors to first timers or those thinking about competing.  Again, this list is by no means all inclusive, and comes totally from my perspective and experience, but I will start by saying that even considering competing is a huge decision in and of itself.  It’s not to be made lightly, and anyone looking to compete in a bodybuilding competition needs to really do some soul searching and research before making a decision.  Here we go:

• Be in an established fitness/nutrition routine. I cannot stress this enough.  If you are not in place in your fitness journey where eating 5-6 meals a day, and training 5-6 times a week in a gym is your “norm”, Prep will be even more difficult for you.  Wanting to lose a bunch of weight?  Don’t do it via a contest prep—you’ll very likely gain it all back and then some.  Ideally you should have a healthy relationship with food, and be in an established pattern (honestly, I’d say at LEAST six months) where you are eating to macros (specific protein, carbohydrate, and fat amounts each day) and having 1-2 “cheat meals” per week.  Binge eating or unhealthy eating patterns—snacking, junk food, heavy drinking, etc., are all a recipe for disaster too.  Prep demands a very specific structured diet and workout regimen.  If this isn’t your usual routine, give yourself more time before deciding to compete.  I would also recommend that you start a Prep at a bodyfat percentage that is on the leaner side.  Most contest preps are roughly 16 weeks—if you’re new to working out and “eating clean” give yourself enough time to be in a good spot physically so that your body can respond better to the demands of a contest prep.  Trying to do too much too soon can be catastrophic to your adrenal system and metabolism, and will make reverse dieting (a topic I’ll touch on later) even more difficult.

• Go to a bodybuilding show!!! I’m amazed by how many first timers I meet who are IN PREP and have never even been to a bodybuilding contest or show.  I remember very vividly the first show I attended in September of 2014.  I knew I would either be amazed and it would confirm that yes this is something I wanted to do, or I would run for the hills!  I think we all know what happened there 😊.  There are a lot of bodybuilding federations, but the National Physique Committee (NPC) is the most well respected and widely recognized one.  All of my shows have been NPC shows, so I can’t really comment on other federations.  Google is a great resource though!  Visit npcnewsonline.com to find out more information about shows in your area or state.  Instagram and social media are also great outlets to find out more information.  There’s tons of valuable information out there on the various categories, judging criteria, and shows.  They’re typically $20-$40 to attend, and will definitely give you an idea of what to expect.

• What is your why? Everyone has a different reason for wanting to compete.  For most, it comes down to a personal challenge, or because they thought it’d be fun, or to “take things to the next level”, or because they wanted to be in the best shape of their life.  These are all great reasons!  If you’re doing a show just because your friends are all doing them, or you need/want to lose a significant amount of weight by a specific time, it may not be the right time for you to compete.  Getting ready for a show requires a lot of structure, consistency, and dedication, so your why really needs to be something you’re passionate about!

• Take a life inventory. I’ll give it to you straight.  I don’t know how people compete with crazy work schedules, kids, and crazy travel schedules.  The kids thing is understandable, but if your life is pretty chaotic, and you don’t have a pretty set schedule/routine, Prep is going to be an absolute nightmare.  Part of me really loves the structure of it though.  You get into a very predictable routine, and the days and weeks fly by.  You’ll undoubtedly have to do fasted cardio (typically 30 minutes to one hour 5-6 mornings a week), plus your gym workouts, plus cardio after you train.  It takes A LOT of time.  If your work schedule is inconsistent, it’s going to be even more difficult.  If you don’t get a lot of sleep, it can wreak havoc on your cortisol levels and metabolism making it even harder to lose weight and lean out.  Then there’s meals and prepping your food.  Can you stay on top of eating your specific meals every day for 4 months straight?  Do you have to wine and dine clients?  Have a lot of weddings or special events coming up that you want to be able to really enjoy and let loose at?  Any big trips or vacations scheduled?  Cheat meals will likely be dictated by your coach, so you’ll maybe have to sacrifice social gatherings, holidays, etc.  Think very hard about the timing of a prep before you pick a show.  This third time was easier for me, but I’d be lying if I said not having cake or champagne on my 11^th wedding anniversary when I was 10 weeks out this year, and not having a great meal and cake on my husband’s birthday yesterday (4 weeks out) weren’t tough.  Right along with your schedule and routine goes your support network.  Prep can be really isolating. It’s very important that you surround yourself with people who love and care about you and understand what you deciding to compete really means.  If you’re married or in a serious relationship, it really needs to be a decision you make together.  One partner’s habits absolutely affect the other and Prep WILL have an effect on your relationship.  You may lose some friends in the process that don’t understand the “lifestyle” but I absolutely guarantee that you can make some amazing friendships in the bodybuilding world as well.  Bodybuilding has without a doubt widened my circle and strengthened my relationships.  People really, really love you when they still love you and want to be around you when you’re hangry and exhausted, and mentally physically and emotionally spent.  Don’t doubt it for a second—PREP WILL DO THIS TO YOU.  MULTIPLE TIMES.  It makes you question every iota of self-discipline and motivation.  The best people in your life will help wrap their arms around you when you hit these rough spots and push you through it.  You also have the added blessing of being able to bless and motivate and encourage others in your journey.  Hands down, this is one of my favorite parts.

• Find a coach. If you’ve done steps 1-4 and you really want to compete, I cannot stress enough that you need to do some research and find a coach that can guide you and direct you.  Getting ready for a bodybuilding competition is serious business, and there’s a lot that goes into it.  A professional can make it seem much less overwhelming.  Don’t do this alone!!  Talk to other competitors, ask around in gyms, good coaches are without a doubt found through word of mouth.  That’s how I found both of mine.  There’s also the decision of whether or not to go virtual and do online coaching with someone, or do face to face.  Personally, I’ve only worked with coaches close to me, and now that I’m working out/training with mine 3x a week it has made a WORLD of difference in this Prep.  Having someone customize your workouts makes it so much easier, but this comes at a price.  Which brings me to my next point….

• Competing is expensive. Coaching and training for an entire prep will likely be several hundred dollars.  Supplements, vitamins, and protein etc. also come at a cost.  Registration and entry for the show/s will be another several of hundred dollars.  Your competition suit, heals, and jewelry—cha ching—several hundred dollars there.  Throw in hair, and tanning, and makeup for your shows and you’re looking at shelling out even more cash.   Don’t skimp there though, because if you work so hard on your physique, how you present it on stage REALLY MATTERS.  You don’t want to be the girl on stage that looks super washed out because of a DIY tan, or that looks like she’s not wearing any makeup at all because you had someone do your makeup that has no idea what a “stage look” should be.  Bodybuilding competitions are really like a beauty pageant for girls with muscles.  Crazy, but oh so true!  Posing classes and a photoshoot to document your amazing results are optional, but I absolutely recommend them.  Posing for sure!!!  All in you’re looking at a $2,000 MINIMUM for one show, and that’s on the low end.

I’m going to do another post that is geared towards first time competitors, but I hope this list really helps those of you that are just wanting to explore and find out more about competing.  If you decide the journey to the stage is one you want to take, it’s a difficult one, but it is absolutely worth it.  Not only will you physically look incredible at the end, but the mental and emotional accomplishment is even more awesome than what happens on the outside.  Feel free to reach out to me with any questions—I’m more than happy to answer them!  Check out the other posts on my blog—I have several others from my first two preps that could be good reads too!

Till next time!

-Mere

Man you guys—it’s been a while since I’ve posted on this thing!  Life gets BUSY and awesome and then before you know it several weeks just whoosh on by!  Can y’‘all believe summer is just about here?!

If you’ve been keeping up with my Instagram / Social Media posts then you’ve probably figured out I’m prepping for my next Figure competition!  Several months ago (January) Shane and I joined an amazing gym here in Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Field House.  It has just been awesome and was exactly what we were looking for!  The environment, people, and atmosphere are just awesome and just what these gymrats needed.  We LOVE training there!  It was a difficult decision, but I also decided to find a coach that was closer to me and someone that I could train with several times a week to help me get where I want to be with my next season.  Luckily, I crossed paths with Joe Cortez, the owner of Field House.  Not only is he a Bodybuilder himself, he’s an awesome trainer and contest prep coach too!  We hit it off, and I’ve been training with him 2 to now 3x a week for the past several months and it has been AWESOME.  Shane comes once a week to train too!  I’m seeing some major results and it has been so great to have someone pushing me in the gym!  Joe’s training style is a lot different than my last coach, so it took some getting used to, but I always know he’s going to challenge me and push me in the gym, which was exactly what I was looking for!  There are also several girls and guys there in the gym who also compete, so I’ve been able to get to know fellow competitors and other fitness minded people which has just been awesome too!  Honestly, I didn’t know how much I was missing out on by not having this before, but I’m 4 weeks into my Prep for this season and feel like I’m mentally and physically in the best shape.  It feels really good, and I’m super excited about the next few weeks and to see how things continue to play out!

My first show will be August 5^th in Dallas, the NPC Texas Legends, followed by the NPC Johnnie Jackson August 26^th in Fort Worth three weeks later.  If all goes as planned and I (and my coach) feel like I’m where I need/want to be and wouldn’t come in dead last, I’m shooting to go to Pittsburgh for Nationals the last week in August.  I qualified last year and really want to go for the experience and feedback— so we’ll see!

Now that I’ve caught y’all up on what’s been happening these past couple of months, I thought I’d share some goals I have for the next 12 weeks.  Every Prep is different, and even though I’m only one month in I can honestly say that this one has been really awesome so far!  Here we go:

1.) I want to LEARN.   If y’all remember, my first Prep in 2015 was awesome well, mostly because it was the first one. I’d never done anything like that before, and everything was new and fun and exciting.  I felt awesome because I was so proud of myself for pushing that hard, and felt like at the end of it all my body showed how much work I had put in.  YAY!  Last year’s Prep was AWFUL.  Complete opposite.  I pushed and pushed and my body would just not respond.  Low carbs, and ultimately an hour and a half of cardio a day for about half of the entire Prep, I lost six pounds in 12 weeks.  To make it worse, I let my nerves and anxiety get the best of me right before the show, and although I did fine placing wise (there were only 5 girls in my class) I was extremely disappointed because how I felt and how I looked (puffy, bloated) did NOT reflect the effort I know I put in.  Super super frustrating.  I know now that it was mostly because of some major hormonal and metabolic imbalances due to my birth control/ IUD and polycystic ovaries/ PCOS.  What did both have in common?  A girl who busted her ass and gave 110%, and LEARNING EXPERIENCES.  Every experience good or bad in life will teach you something if you allow it to.  I’m so thankful to have the opportunity to compete again and can’t wait to see what I learn on this journey back to the stage.

2.) I want to maintain my positive energy and attitude! Remind me of this in like 6 weeks when I’m depleted and hangry and digging deep to finish a workout, okay?  Last year it was honestly probably not the best “season” of my life to be in Prep mode.  We were house hunting, work was a little crazy, I had a lot of family drama going on, and I was driving an hour and half one way to go see my Coach.  Although he was awesome, I wasn’t getting what I needed and I felt like most of the time I was just going through the motions of the process.  Because of how frustrated I was with my lack of progress, the battle against myself in my head was just non-stop the entire time.  Not exactly in the best spot mentally or emotionally to commit to the added stress of contest prep.  My first Prep I was excited and motivated pretty much the entire time.  This Prep feels a lot like the first but better— my physique has improved considerably, and I’m doing this for a third time, which brings an added level of confidence.  My routine is predictable, I’ve got an awesome gym and the most amazing people to help support me, and that feels so awesome!  I want to maintain my positivity and excitement through this process.  That’s me at my core, and I want to stay true to that!

3.) Have fun and ENJOY the process! This is FUN!  It’s FUN to push yourself.  It’s FUN to see results.  It’s FUN to razzle dazzle and strut your tan muscles off in front of strangers and your favorite people.  It’s FUN to be proud of yourself and look amazing after three months of meticulous nutrition and training.   If you view it any other way, I promise it’ll be pretty miserable!

4.) I WILL DO MORE THAN ONE SHOW!!! Big mistakes from before, I didn’t take full advantage of doing one more than one show after going through an entire Prep. Whomp whomp whomp.  This year I’m doing at least two shows, potentially three!  More importantly, I want to EARN being nationally qualified, not just get it because there were only 5 people in my class and the top 5 get NQd.  I have something to prove to myself.  I’m in this to crush it.

5.) Be an influencer and motivator to those around me. This goes for competitors and non-competitors!  I want to be able to use my experience, my discipline, and my struggles to influence and encourage others, as an athlete, as a trainer, and as a person!  I have such an opportunity and a platform to use this, and I just want to use it to be a blessing to others.

6.) Regardless of the outcome, I will be proud of myself and happy with my results. No further comment necessary 😊

That’s it!  These next 12 weeks are going to FLY by.  Once we get to 8 weeks out it’s like things are on fast forward!  I’m really going to try to have more posts up to not only share what’s going on with the gearing up for the shows, but also to help share fitness and nutrition tips and tricks.

Thank you all again for coming along again for the ride!

Till next time,

-Mere

Hey gang!  It’s been a long two weeks!  I kind of took some down time after the show to regroup and rest!  Apparently contest prep really takes it out of you!!!  The NPC Southwest USA Championships was an AMAZING show!  I had forgotten how much fun it is to be in the bright lights on stage!  I had so much fun!!!  When it was all said and done, I came in 2^nd place Novice, 3^rd in Open.  Hooray for two trophies and being Nationally Qualified through 2017!  I had so much fun spending the day with some of my favorite people!!

Here’s the thing though.  It was an EXTREMELY small show.  There were only 90 competitors in the whole thing, and only 5 girls in my Figure open class!  CRAZY.  A lot of this we attributed to NPC Texas adding so many NQ shows this year—21 to be exact.  We got to Arlington Friday afternoon and I was a ball of nerves.  I just let my anxiety and my mind get the best of me, and by the time I met with my coach I was totally flat and watery.  Just a mess!  He told me to eat a burger (or 2!!!! WTF) and watch a movie.  I tanned, rested, and got up bright and early for hair and makeup.  It was a blast!  I still felt the entire time though, that I wasn’t where I should be with all of the work I had put into this Prep.  The scale wasn’t dropping like it should have, and I didn’t come in as lean despite my hour and a half of daily cardio, carb cycling, and meticulous diet.  I was so frustrated.  That said, I still had fun, got some stage time, wore an amazing suit, and got the privilege to compete again.

The next week though, I wanted answers.  Jeff and I both felt like something was just off.  It didn’t mathematically make sense for me not to have lost more weight with the amount of work I was doing and what my calorie intake was.  Why was I not leaner?  Long story short.  It was all hormones!!!  I switched birth control shortly after the show last year, and got the copper IUD put in.  The timing matches up perfectly.  Paraguard to be exact.  Since it’s non-hormonal, it’s not supposed to make you gain weight.  We researched the hell out of this thing last week.  Apparently for me and thousands of other women, the copper toxicity from the device negatively impacts your thyroid and adrenal system, and makes you not only GAIN weight, but makes it extremely difficult to lose due to excess cortisol and estrogen in your body.  There was our answer!  I have now had mine taken out, and have gone to other methods (TMI) but ladies, if you have an IUD in I would highly recommend paying attention to the adverse effects it can have on your body.  Non-hormonal device or not, there are still chemical hormonal reactions going on in your body obviously since it keeps you from getting pregnant.  I’m pissed that I didn’t figure this out sooner, but we attributed my 25+ pound gain to being mostly muscle. And, a lot of it was, but I was definitely carrying a lot of water and dealing with a very slow metabolism that hindered me every bit of these last 15 weeks.  To be honest, had I not done this prep I probably would have gained more weight!  Now that the SOB is out, I’m hoping that my hormones level out and get back under control soon.  It’s only been two days, but I can already see and feel a difference.  For a lot of the women I found in a big forum, they dropped weight within days of getting their IUD taken out.  Fingers crossed my Hulk genes go back to their usual selves and I’m shredded AF in a few weeks.

That said, I made the decision to post-pone doing another show (or 2 right away) until I feel like I am bringing my absolute best package to the stage.  That means no Ronnie Coleman, and unless I drop crazy water weight in the next 3 days, no Steve Kuclo.  We’re seeing how the next few weeks play out with me, but I’m shooting to do another show or 2 here in Dallas late summer/ August.  I could be really mad that I’m carrying around another 5-7 pounds more than I should be despite busting my ass for the past 15 weeks, and to be honest, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pissed.  I followed my diet and training plan 100% but the results didn’t come like we expected.  I’m disappointed that I wasn’t tighter and more cut in these stage shots, but it is what it is, and I’m still proud of myself for getting up there.  Fortunately, I didn’t gain 50 or 70, or 80 pounds in the past year like a lot of women have with the same IUD that I had.  Instead of being angry, I’m just going to let my body level itself out, and keep trusting the process.  I’m still healthy, I can still train hard, and I can still love life.  Everything happens for a reason, and hopefully someone can learn from my experience.  Maybe this means I can get my NASM certification sooner rather than later, enjoy the summer, and do a much shorter prep as we get closer to some future shows.  3^rd place and 2^nd place certainly aren’t bad, but I want better, and will do better.  Thank you all again for your support and love on this crazy bodybuilding ride.  Love you guys!!!

Till next time,

-Mere

I can’t believe it’s already the day before the show!!!  Well, the first show of the season at least!  This week has been a blur.  Peak Week as this is called is essentially a science project.  You drink a ton of water, eat more carbs then usual, then “dry out” and keep your carbs high come show day.  Your workouts are more moderate, and there’s less cardio–finally!

This Prep flew by–overall, honestly, it was pretty easy despite the hour and a half of daily cardio.  My head gave me more trouble this time than my body did.  I’ll be the first to tell you, I’m my own worst critic.  It seems like the entire 15 weeks I was comparing myself to other girls, or to last year.  I was constantly questioning myself- “how do I look?”, “Am I conditioned enough”, “Did I do enough?”.   Man it has been a battle!   I just don’t feel as lean, even though everyone keeps saying I look amazing and fantastic.  I think it’s mostly because I weigh so much more now.  Like I’ve said all along, this sport is way more mental than physical, and I learned that with this Prep.  At the end of the day, I just have to be confident in myself, confident that I did my best, and be proud of how far I’ve come.  I am enough.  This is a hobby, a sport, and as much fun as it is, it’s not all of my identity.  I have to keep myself in check!  I’m so blessed to have such a great support group around me, that regardless of what those judges say tomorrow, I’ve already won just by getting there.

I’m hoping I’ll tighten up more over the next 24 hours, just like I did last time.  Yikes!  Hard to believe I’ve got less than that before show time!  We’re about to leave to go to the hotel, and I will have my first two coats of tan put on this afternoon, followed by the athlete check-in, and a check-in with my coach, and 4 more meals.  Yep, 4.  2 of them being filet mignon!  HA!  Makeup is at 5am tomorrow and I should go on stage somewhere around 10 or so for prejudging.

I’m thrilled to have the privilege of walking across that stage tomorrow.  Everyone has their own journey getting there, but each competitor should be praised for their courage and accomplishment.  The show is a celebration of the Fit Life!

See you on the other side!!

-Mere

I cannot believe I’m already 11 weeks out!  This Prep is flying by!!  How is it already almost FEBRUARY?!?   I’ve been busy training with my coach once a week, and have started going to posing on Saturday.  So far so great!  I’m slowly leaning out, and although the scale’s not changing, my appearance definitely is.  It’s so exciting to start to see subtle changes in your physique—such a big motivator!  I forgot how great it is to see muscles!!! And I’m so glad to see my abs back!! 🙂

My diet hasn’t really changed from off season, other than doing more carb cycling with meals 2 and 4, and carbs with dinner on Sunday.  Oh and no more cheat meals, duh.  Whomp whomp.   Cardio is slowly increasing, but I’m still doing only 30 minutes after training 5 days a week, and then an hour on Sunday.  Not bad!  Fasted cardio will likely start in another week or two.  This isn’t my first rodeo, so I am ready to PUSH!

I gotta say though—the first few weeks of this Prep weren’t as golden.  I was still excited, but just not as naïve this time going into it at all.  I definitely needed to get out of my own head.  We all know we are our own worst critic.  As a competitor, it’s so easy to compare yourself to things you see on social media, or other pictures that you’ve taken where you were so much leaner.  It can be so discouraging!  This time, I feel like I’ve been much harder on myself because I want to do well and I’ve put so much pressure on myself in offseason to GROW.  I’ve had to remind myself that this process comes slowly, and that I need to TRUST THE PROCESS.  The scale is not always indicative of the changes going on in your body.  Being around my competitor friends and teammates the last couple of weekends definitely helped though because you can learn from their experiences and be encouraged by their journeys.  No successful competitor does this alone!!!  You have to have a support system.  I’m so fortunate to have so many amazing, encouraging, supportive people around me, not just competitors, but friends and family as well.

It finally started feeling REAL when I got my suit ordered, and compared progress pictures from 15 weeks out to 11 and 12 weeks out.  The process WORKS!  Stick to the plan, and the plan will work.  My suit is going to be AMAZING!!!!!  The incredible Tamee Marie designed my suit last year and I couldn’t imagine trusting anyone else to do a better job, so she will be designing this year’s as well.  I went with a gunmetal / dark shimmery gray material, and the stone colors will likely be different shades of pewter and silver, but she hasn’t finalized those yet.

In other news, I’ve done some serious research on getting certified as a Personal Trainer through NASM.  I love being able to share my knowledge and experiences with others to help them on their fitness journeys.  Being certified would give me the credibility to be able to do that on a larger scale.  Ideally I will take the exam later this summer/ early fall, and start doing online training and nutrition/ lifestyle coaching programs.  I have a heart for women and ladies who are “scared of the gym” and have no idea where to start with eating clean, because I was one of those girls just a short time ago.  I love learning about fitness and nutrition, and feel like getting certified will just further my knowledge.  For now I’m focusing on my training and getting ready to rock that stage in just a few weeks!

At the end of the day, this is me competing against myself, to be a better version of myself inside and out.  I fell in love with Bodybuilding because at it’s core, it is all about building yourself from the outside in.  Stronger physically, stronger emotionally, stronger mentally.  Some of my worst days have given me some of my best workouts.  Isn’t that cool?  I read a quote not too long ago that was something to the effect of” you will have people come and go, good days and bad days, but the iron is consistent, 200 pounds is 200 pounds.”  That’s powerful.

I’m just so, so excited to see this journey unfold, and am even more excited to share it with all of you.  Keep grinding!

Till next time,

-Mere