If you have read my blog any the past few months you may remember reading about me saying I had set some pretty big goals for myself. Or, if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen a few hashtags about bikinis and competition and prep. A few of you reading this already know what I am talking about and I am finally ready to share what all this craziness has been about with everyone else. A few months ago I decided to compete in a fitness competition. If you knew the old me you are probably thinking I have really lost my mind. This is so far from my comfort zone it ain’t even funny. But, hey, I’m doing it!
When someone first suggested it to me, I said, “Noooooo not meeeeee. Das not for me.” Because when I thought of a fitness competition I thought about some super ripped up woman about twice my size and the color of a nice mahogany table passed down for several generations. However, the world of competing has progressed significantly from what I remember seeing as a kid and there are now several different types of divisions. For me, I chose to be a bikini competitor.
What does being a bikini competitor mean? Well, the top 5 girls out of each class place. The open classes are divided up by height and there is also a novice (first timer) class. I’ll be competing in both a novice class and an open class for my height. The competitors in bikini divisions are judged on their “proportion, symmetry, balance, shape and skin tone.” It also means getting up in front of lots and lots of people in a really tiny bikini. A very expensive, tiny bikini that will be glued on to my skin.
My Dad is SUPER excited I’ll be on a stage in dental floss. But, for real… he’s proud of me. He’ll just show up with a big black garbage bag to wrap me up in afterwards, I’m sure. It’s gonna be fun times.
Why a bikini competition? Because I wanted to do something so huge it scared me. I wanted to push myself and push my body and push my mental state (which actually is way harder than the physical part – just FYI). I wanted to do something so far outside of what I was comfortable with because I want to GROW. I may do this once and never do it again. Or, maybe I’ll find a new hobby. That’s not the point. And, while I am learning as the weeks get closer I am really eyeing a trophy, I will be okay if I don’t place. Because, just doing this will be a huge accomplishment and something I will never forget.
And, while this is for me I have also learned it’s not just about me. It’s about my family who have been so supportive of this crazy idea, my friends who text me every day encouragements and pump me up and give me crazy nicknames and promise me Reeses and listen to me talk about what I’m going to eat after the competition is over, it’s about the phenomenal women I have met who are going through the same thing or have already been through a competition and have become my friends, it’s about the friends I have made through this whole journey and while they tell me I have inspired them they have no idea how they inspire me. It’s about learning my limits, my weaknesses, my strengths. And, it’s about all the thanks I will be able to give to people who have supported me and put up with my cranky, hungry butt… especially on those low carb days when I feel half human. And, all the people who have had to deal with me heating up fish at work for the past four months.
Since this is all out in the open now I am going to probably be writing quite a bit about the competition. I am excited but super nervous right now. I have a lot of work to do between now and then. This week I am officially 10 weeks out from the competition date. 10 WEEKS!!!
So what is happening in the next 10 weeks? Well, as you know, I have received my lucite stripper heels… I’m sorry, “competition footwear”. Which will, obviously, be the easiest part of this whole deal because anyone who knows me knows I already walk around in 5″ stilettos most days anyway. I’ll be ordering my custom bikini soon (anyone wanna guess what color it is?!), paying for posing lessons, eating my life away in protein, counting macros all the day long, doing cardio 4-5 days a week (which I’ve already been doing for awhile) along with my daily lifting, drinking almost 2 gallons of water a day, trying to get plenty of sleep, and trying not to go crazy. Part of competition prep is leaning out, which means… yep, all those new clothes I just bought in the smallest size known to man will probably not fit. But, that part will be temporary. I’ll slowly work my way back up, after the competition, to where I am now weight wise. So, cue the “you look sick” comments now but just remember it’s not permanent and I have a lot of help in doing what I’m doing. Part of the reason I have picked up extra work hours (besides keeping my mind busy) is to help with competition costs. Once you add up your “apparel”, hair/nails/makeup, travel costs, food, posing lessons, a $100 spray tan (yes, you read that right), and any other extras it gets to be a little pricey. I’m planning on doing a lot of things on my own like my hair and makeup, etc. but there are some things I just have to bite the bullet on and spend the money.
But, the real excitement will be the pizza I am ordering from Giordano’s in Chicago to be shipped to my front door to devour after competition day. Yes, I am ordering pizza from Chicago. And, it will be epic. Oh, and probably the largest sweet tea from Chick-fil-A with extra extra ice. Yeeeeeaaahhhh buddy!
While the pizza will be exciting, I am really excited to do this and have the support of my loved ones. This has kind of become a group effort and to me that is really cool. Aside from graduating high school and college I haven’t done anything that has been a goal I’ve worked at for awhile. And, I didn’t really get to share my graduations with a lot of people so this competition is way more than just a competition – it’s a huge moment in my life that I get to share with the people I care about the most.
Hopefully I will get to celebrate a placement but even if I don’t, I will have come so far and done so much and had the best support system and really, what else could any of us ask for when we are going through life?
So, here’s to stripper heels, tiny bikinis, and a whole lotta crazy…
until next time, xoxo… patty lauren
