I’m officially 8 weeks out from my next Bikini Bodybuilding Competition, The Leigh Brandt Muscle Class on March 24th!
Show Details here: Sat. March 24th, New Westminster Massey Theatre!
Last time around (and also, my first competition) I kept this a major secret and only told my best friends a few weeks out, and made a social media post only on the night before! I know colleagues were wondering why I was eating so much chicken for breakfast, haha! It feels like a huge relief to be able to share my goals more widely this time, and not be embarrassed about accepting a new challenge and being okay with being vulnerable.
I attended a posing seminar last week and met a fellow competitor Megan, who also trains with my Coach Jennifer Weintz!
For any fist-time readers or competitors – take a look at my series on My First Bodybuilding Journey here: https://poymeetsworld.com/category/active-health/bodybuilding/
I’m going to share a few ways a I feel better equipped and prepared this time, by knowing what the whole process looks like! These tips can apply to anyone who is simply looking to meet any health and fitness goals, regardless of whether you’re training for a specific event or simply want to live a healthier lifestyle!
1) The Importance of Food Prep and Using a Meal Prep Company (2 Guys with Knives in my case)
(Photos taken by yours truly!)
One major lesson I learned from my first competition, was the importance of a clean diet and preparing food in advance!
You can’t out-train a poor diet!
Calories In, Calories Out, isn’t that simple. You don’t want to rely on running for an hour to work off a candy bar. It’s FAR easier and more sustainable to just eat healthy, whole foods that are full of nutrients.
There’s a big divide between fans of low-fat vs low-carb diets but some things are crystal clear between all of them:
Less Sugar, More REAL foods (less processed), and More Vegetables (high nutrients!)
I’ve had so much fun capturing these beautiful images of their delicious, healthy food:
I used to spend countless hours shopping, cooking, cleaning and eating.
Thanks to my work with local Meal Prep Company, 2 Guys with Knives, I’ve been able to enjoy gluten-free, dairy-free creative and delicious meals for the past several months! Now that I’m in strict diet mode (6 meals a day, specific portions of protein, carbs and fat), I’m super fortunate that they are introducing customizable meal plans!
I work with my Coach/Trainer/Nutritionist Jennifer Weintz on a meal plan that will meet my training goals, and then I send that nutritional information to 2 Guys with Knives.
After my household had been ordering from them for over 2 years for healthy lunches, it’s exciting to incorporate their services into my bodybuilding journey! When I think of all the TIME that I save, I can honestly say the price is definitely worth it.
Previous posts about them here: https://poymeetsworld.com/2-guys-knives-local-healthy-meal-prep-delivery/
For anyone with aims of eating healthier, and making more time to pursue their goals (not wasted lining up for groceries and cooking!), this is huge in value!
As a way to support my upcoming Feb.6th Young Professionals Mingler Event, they are also donating a $75 Door Prize, and offering a limited PROMO CODE so that all of you can try their food too, and experience the value firsthand! Use #POY to get 5 meals, for the price of 2!
That’s 3 complimentary entrees!!
2) The Power of Habit, Creating Space and Finding Purpose – through the Damn Early Days Program
I joined an Accountability Program called Damn Early Days in January where participants wake up every M-D at 4:30, 5:00 AM to create space for themselves, to get new things accomplished and make room for their goals.
I’m going to delve into a deeper blog post on this in the coming days, but I wanted to quickly mention how powerful it has been to have a community of like-minded people waking up together, sharing tips on creating routines and rituals, and encouraging one another!
This program has given me the space to fit in more of my workouts in the morning, so that I go to work feeling incredible energized and accomplished, and also, feel a bit more “Free” once I’m done work!
One of the creators behind this program, Julian DeShutter, will also be one of my guest speakers at the the upcoming Mingler event on Feb. 6th I keep shamelessly sharing!
Shout out to all my friends who have joined me in this program – thanks for responding to my random message and signing up as well! Nicholas, Jen (x2!) and Sarah!
3) Making Friends Earlier! (And Training/Posing together!)
I was so happy to meet other competitors through my Coach Jennifer last year, and I really wished I had met them earlier so that we could have supported each other from the start!
This time around, I’ve connected with some women earlier, and we even attended a CPA event and Posing with the Pros seminar!
We all got some general updates about the new posing rules (more flexibility and more aligned with the IFBB Pro standards!).
We each also got some one on one advice and feedback with one of the pros!
Pictured below are Leigh Brandt, IFBB Pro, and Annette Corvette, IFBB Pro.
Megan and I also got to check out the beautiful Suit Lady suits on display! We both have ours chosen for our March show 🙂
If you missed out on the Posing Event, I just saw that there are a few more coming up in February!
One last plug for my in-person Young Professionals Mingler event Feb.6th on Personal Development and Healthy Habits!