Every Show is Different
My two kids are like night and day. Even the pregnancies were different. With my first child, Rylee, I didn’t look pregnant until about the fourth month, I had maybe one week of morning sickness and I craved nothing but dairy. I had been fairly in shape up to that point, having just completed my fourth marathon in three years. It took about a year and a half, but I finally lost most of the baby fat. No sooner could I zip my business skirt, a new little baby was growing inside me. I figured, Been there/done that; I know what to expect.
Well ha, ha, ha! With my son I looked five months pregnant the day after I peed on the stick, my morning sickness was so bad I actually lost weight in the first trimester, and I craved nothing but protein. Also, the last time I exercised was that marathon I ran before the first baby, so I was deconditioned and ten pounds heavier to start. Oddly, I ended up within two pounds of the exact same pregnancy weight, but I looked totally different.
Each Show is its Own Baby
The past few weeks I’ve been struggling with my show prep because, well, it’s my fifth one, so I figured it would run a similar course, at least weight-wise.
Well ha! ha! ha! My trainer, Robin, had to ever so gently remind me the other week that I started this show prep almost 20 lbs. heavier than my usual start weight, I hadn’t worked out consistently for almost four months prior because I was caring for my mom during chemo, and (due to my mother’s illness) I was dealing with a lot more stress this time around.
I started looking through my various progress pictures and they each tell their own story. For my first show (bikini) I had already been training a solid 2 months and lost 25 pounds before the “official” show prep started. For my second show (also bikini) I maintained my weight and added some strength. My third show I switched trainers (my first trainer moved) and switched divisions from bikini to figure. My fourth show I tried something new (fitness – which combined flexibility with gymnastics) but because I was also doing a pole fitness competition around the same time, I didn’t start show prep until 8 weeks out and had to drop out 3 weeks before the competition because my mom went into the hospital. Each start and end point I looked different, but I was within four pounds of the same weight, which confirms that my body is a science project.
I think it’s natural to compare. You want to see that you are headed in the right direction, so you can (hopefully) learn from your mistakes. These pictures are a good reminder that each show prep is its own baby and you don’t know how it’s going to turn out until you step on that stage. I’m curious to see how I’ve progressed this time around.
How about you? Do you compare your past physical pursuits?
Lisa 
Lisa Traugott is a Mom’s Choice Award winning writer, fitness blogger, wife and mom of two. You can read more about her in her new book, “She’s Losing It!” available at Amazon.com.
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