I'm Back!!!!

Its been about 6 weeks since I've updated my status so there's a few things to catch up on.

I've been in my "off season" since I finished the second show in April. This essentially means I've been working on gaining muscle, which obviously results in weight gain. Most people give themselves a restriction on how much weight they can gain on the off season..... I did not. I know myself well enough now that my body likes to maintain a certain weight, usually with no extensive effort on my part. I stuck with mostly healthy foods, but definitely got my share of other types of foods as well. What I've determined from reintroducing "off limit" foods back into my diet is that I either made myself very sensitive to certain foods, or I was sensitive to these foods before and was just used to the symptoms they gave me because I dealt with them daily. Although I missed eating my "prep" type foods and meals, I wanted to give myself a break from meal preparation and having such a strict eating schedule. I came off basically all of the supplements I was taking during prep like CLA and L-carnatine, but still am taking creatine and using protein powder.

The last 8 weeks I've been arguing with myself the pros and cons of doing competitions. I know I want to do another show, but am I willing to commit that much time and effort again. It was completely mentally, emotionally, and physically draining, but there was something invigorating about testing your limits to that extreme. The results were pretty cool too. I think that because the previous shows were my first attempt ever, I didn't have a coach to help me with anything, and I was also coaching the other ladies it was too much for me to actually enjoy the experience.

Also, I just found out a few days ago that my husband and I will be moving....again, however this time it is to a place I know I will enjoy. I'M MOVING HOME! That's right, we're headed back to Vermont!!! It is a bittersweet move though. Over the last 2 years I have made some wonderful friends and have had the most amazing job ever so it will definitely be difficult to leave.

So, with all that being said, I am aiming for my next show to be September 13th in Lexington MA (just north of Boston). This means that prep started Monday. I have reevaluated and redeveloped my competition prep program to allow more variation in food types, less heavy weight lifting and more plyometrics/cardio, and made sure I have a positive outlook on this experience by putting less pressure on myself. I've definitely picked a challenging time to partake in a competition prep with a long distance move, trying to find a new place of employment, and all the social gatherings of summer but I am up for the challenge and request the support of all those I see in the next 14 weeks.