That’s it

I can’t believe I’m done competing for the year. Getting ready for three shows this year was an extremely rewarding journey. I pushed myself harder than I ever have before and came in looking the best I ever have. I didn’t place in any of the shows I did, but that’s not the point. I dieted in a healthy manner this time, and didn’t kill myself with excessive cardio and felt great throughout the process and that’s what was important to me.

 The last show I did was with the WBFF. I thought about ending my season after I competed in on June 19, but I’m happy I pushed through and dieted for the extra two weeks. The show was an amazing experience. It was well-organized, in a beautiful venue that was the perfect size, all the other competitors were super nice and I had fun hanging out back stage all day with them. It was a great way to end off my season and left me really motivated to work hard in the off-season and come back even better next year.

 Now I’m into off-season mode, which can be a challenging time for competitors. You go from looking the leanest you ever have to being a little softer. The transition can be hard, but I need to keep it in perspective. I lost 22 pounds since January and my goal is to maintain five pounds above show weight for the rest of my off-season. So I will still be 17 pounds lighter from where I started, which will make the dieting process even easier next year.

 I took Sunday and Monday off and ate too much and didn’t feel so good after, but it got it out of my system. Since then I have been bang on with my nutrition and working really hard in the gym. Like I said before it’s all about the mindset. During contest prep I went for weeks without a cheat meal so why should now be any different. I will have the occasional off-plan meal, but cheating will not become an everyday occurrence. I have been there and done that and the end result isn’t good. It’s hard on both my mind and body. Another difference this time is I have a post-show plan and way to stay accountable to that plan and meet my off-season goals.