2016 Lebanon Valley Pro/Am Bodybuilding and Figure Competition

What a weekend! I am sitting in the passenger's seat of my van while my husband drives three tired girls home from a whirlwind trip to Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

Yesterday I competed in the Open Figure Division of the National Gym Association's Lebanon PA Pro/Am Bodybuilding and Figure Show.

It was a great show! Every female there was beautifully athletic and deserving of a trophy! The competition was fierce for sure! The only disappointing thing about the show is that though the competitors were just that; very competitive, there weren't very many of them. There were only two of us in my division and I was awarded second place. Despite my 2nd/last place finish :) I am very proud of my physique and the total package that I brought to the stage.

I am looking forward to participating in a (hopefully) larger show on August 6th in Woodbridge, Virginia. I am going to take a few days off from my rigid competition diet and then get right back to it so that I can feel just as good about stepping on the stage in three weeks as I did yesterday.

If any of you are interested in this crazy figure competition hobby I love and would like to learn more, don't hesitate to contact me! I love to help others reach their full potential in and through this sport!

Update: I wrote this a week and half ago and never got it posted. Sorry about that! I am now one and a half weeks out from my next competition, a little leaner than at this point before the last one and ready to get this thing done so I can eat normally (but still healthfuly) again!

Having a little fun with bodybuilding poses

The Night Before a Figure Competition

In 24 hours I will be done with my 5th figure competition.

Yahoo! I am so excited to be almost DONE with the prep process! I am ready to be back to my normal (still healthy) eating and (still challenging) workout habits. It's been a long eleven weeks! Soon I will know how well it all payed off. Regardless, it's been a fun ride.

For those who don't know, I have been in the preparation phase for a bodybuilding/figure competition for the past eleven weeks. What does that mean, you ask?

It means planning all of my meals and workouts in advance. It means cutting calories and manipulating macronutrients to see a drop in body fat on a weekly basis. It means hard weighlifting workouts six days a week and hard cardio workouts almost as often. It means being depleted and tired a lot. It means gains in self confidence, strength and pride. It means high heels and overdone make-up and tiny bathing suits. It means I have been working towards my goals and achieving them. It means that no matter what happens tomorrow, I can be proud that I am the best me that I can be and that I have ever been.

Check back tomorrow evening to find out the judging results!