Trolls and Miracles
I’m not one to toot my own horn, but when you state your fitness goals aloud and not one but two personal trainers use the word “miracle” in response, well that’s pretty special. With Daniel it was, “Hey, Daniel, I’d like to perform an Operation Ass Lift before my next competition,” and his response was (this is an actual quote here) “I’m not a miracle worker.”
Yesterday I told Mel, the coach for the women’s bodybuilding team I just joined, “I would like to do the Texas Shredder in April in the figure division and aim for 5th place,” and her response was, “Well sometimes miracles do happen, but let’s aim for the Adela in June.”
In situations like these I find that eating the frosting directly out of the cup with a plastic spoon works best (that way you don’t have to clean the spoon, you just toss it when you’re done.) And it’s totally ok to eat frosting now because I won’t be standing on stage in a bikini for at least six months. Secretly this terrifies me and here’s why.
Two weeks before my first competition someone (and just for the sake of argument let’s say that that “someone” lives in a swamp in Florida) said, “I’ll bet she gains all the weight back after her reunion.” And a little piece of me believed her.
Why did she say this? I don’t know. Maybe she was having a bad day and she viewed my exercise success as her own exercise failure. Or maybe she knew me for a while, had watched me yo-yo diet through the years, and thought me gaining weight was a sure thing to bet on and gain some Christmas money. Or maybe she’s just a grumpy old troll who asks men three riddles before they cross over the bridge and into her vagina. I don’t know.
But here’s the thing – I really need to not listen to her. Who cares what she thinks?
Mel must have seen the panic in my eyes when she told me to aim for June and not April. “The judges are going to want to see improvements, not the same package in a different bikini. You make your gains in the off season. I have to see how your muscles respond. I have to see how your body reacts to the new diet. I know you’re a hard worker, but there’s no point in doing competitions all year when you’re not ready.”
Mel’s right: I’m not ready yet. Troll is wrong: I’m not going to gain back all the weight I carried before my first competition.
And I do believe that miracles can happen. Probably not by April, but over time I can work at improving my physique; after all that’s what bodybuilding is all about. And over time I’ll improve other parts of myself that need a little work too (like caring what everyone thinks and turning to frosting in moments of stress); after all you’re more than just your body parts.
Trolls of the world, listen up: Don’t bet against me. You’ll lose. In the words of Muhammad Ali, “If you even dream of beating me you better wake up and APOLOGIZE.”
Lisa 😉
Lisa Traugott is a Mom’s Choice Award winning writer, fitness blogger, wife and mom of two. Her book, “She’s Losing It!” is available at Amazon.com (and has a 5-star review rating!)
Original copyright: Sheslosingit.net (c) 2012 Lisa Traugott. ShesLosingIt.com (c) 2015 Lisa Traugott. All rights reserved. No portion of this blog, including any text, photographs, video, and artwork, may be reproduced or copied without written permission.
I had a similar experience when I said I was doing the Shredder and my trainer said you are not competing for a year. We’re going to build muscle and rehab your shoulder. I had panic in my eyes…but I trust him and I have to trust myself. Forget the trolls, You can do this, heck you already have! I’ll see you at the gym tomorrow, right?!
If anyone can build it you can. When I first starting going to the gym you were one of the people I watched to get inspired. 🙂 I’ll be there but later – Henri has to work today.
Best. Post. Ever.
Happy New Year Lisa. I’ll be joining you in prep- I am competing in bikini on May 11th. One thing I know for sure (and I learned this from you too) is that when you work hard, you don’t need miracles.
Here’s to our best season yet 🙂
Amen, sista!
bah humbug to her…if anyone can do it, you can. I think this past year you have done incredible things and proved to yourself just how amazing you are! Aim for April!
Thanks and you have had a great year too! Baby countdown!
111 days! (and I did my leg workout today for the first time in a month, Im nervous about gaining too much and not being able to get into shape afterward. I won’t make a new years resolution, but starting small, I worked out today 🙂
Admirable goals and good for you. Very nice blog. A comment from a very fit, post-menopausal female: think for the long term- to keep yourself safe, to avoid permanent injury. My mother passed at 94 1/2, a recreational athlete all her life, but hampered from various injuries. Second, think lean, not “thin.” When I was younger, I always thought I was “fat” because I carried about 20 lbs. of muscle that most women didn’t. I weighed around 150 and had no fat. Now, though 65, I test at about the level of an average mid-20’s female. I’m thinking about how to maintain for the next 30 years. Good luck to us all.
Wow! Good for you to be so healthy! I have a hard time shifting my thinking from “thin” to “fit”. It’s tough to switch gears but I’m working on it. Looking forward to following your posts for the next 30 years 😉