Chasing Arnold – 11 Weeks Out

 

Last November I did something a little crazy, even for me:  At age 40, and slightly heavier than usual, I entered one of the largest international bikini competitions in the world, ’cause, you know, why not?  Mostly I did it to focus my energy away from emotional eating (my mom was recently diagnosed with cancer) and to give me a hard goal to reach for.

Each week I videoed my progress so people could see what it’s really like to train for a bodybuilding competition at the amateur level. No one’s asking me to quit my day job and be the cover model for a fitness magazine, I’m just a mom who loves this sport and I hope it will inspire other women to give bodybuilding a try.

Food and Focus

Everyone asks me, “What’s more important? Diet or exercise?” My answer is on the video.

Once I bought a book called “Focus,” but I got distracted part way through and never finished reading it.  Like many people I start projects with a lot of enthusiasm but unless I really want to achieve my goal it’s easy to get sidetracked, or in the case of training, show up physically but not necessarily mentally.  Week 11 of show prep is the first real test of anyone’s resolve, because the excitement of choosing your competition and starting your show prep has worn off, and you’re just staring at a calendar filled with seemingly endless weeks to challenge your will power.  It can be daunting.  If you don’t get your eye on the prize pretty quick, it’s going to be a long show prep.

How about you?  Are you staying focused on your goals?

Lisa 😉

If you’d like to catch up on previous episodes, here are the links:  My Cover Letter to the Arnold Amateur, 13 Weeks till the Arnold Sports Festival – Thankful, Chasing Arnold – 12 Weeks Out.

If you’d like to know what it’s like to train for your first show while also potty training a rambunctious toddler, check out my book, “She’s Losing It!” available at Amazon.com.

Lisa Traugott is a Mom’s Choice Award winning writer, fitness blogger, wife and mom of two.   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.