- Me (via Tweet 4/9/12)
Upon completion of a goal one must remind themselves to take time to celebrate and relax instead of jumping head-first into the next goal. You climbed a mountain, now chill the heck out! But don't stay in 'chill-town' too long or you might get stuck there!
As most of you know, this past weekend I had the honor of competing in INBA's The Iron Gladiator, and yes, I am The Gladiator! Who-rAw! I took home 1st place and Overall in The Bikini Diva Class, marking the last 8 strenuous weeks of my life a success! I trained hard and dieted as if I was competing against 100 other girls doing the exact same thing. I changed my personal plan to create a more feminine physique and spent far more nights stressing over my butt then I did celebrating my abs. Every time I wanted to give up, cave in, and eat the whole jar (instead of just a spoonful) of Almond butter I asked myself: "What is the winner doing right now?"... sometimes 'the winner' was having another spoonful of Almond butter but hey, who says I'm perfect!?!
The night of the competition I went out to 'celebrate' with some of my peeps and indulge in my favorite cheat: white-sauce pizza (on wheat crust of course)... but the cheating didn't stop there. It's as if I opened Pandoras Box! We had brunch the next day followed by In-n-Out Burger and more Reeses Peanut Butter Cups then the Easter Bunny himself could handle! The thing is, this is not surprising. I struggled the same way after my last competition, but the difference was: I lost that one.
Hmmmmm.... so two different outcomes, same result? Once again I am stuck in chill-town, or should I say Gluten-City, a little too long! Yowza!
After eating clean pretty consistently for the last few years, the introduction of 'non-clean' food has my body under attack! They say competitors never look the same the day after a show and boy, do I take the cake (no pun intended)! Where there once was a washboard, lies a bread bowl! I literally feel hungover! It's awful and yet, offer me something covered in chocolate and I just can't say "NO!"
Lying in bed last night I thought of my (next) goals... First and foremost, I want to show my clients how to handle this type of hurdle and continue to be an example of a healthy, fit person! I want to continue to experiment with nutrition and exercises to find the 'perfect plan' for every body. I want to compete at Nationals. I want to earn my pro-card. I want to be known as an elite athlete in this sport... and my sport is my body.... that's what all of these goals have in common: being in control of my body.
I realized the 'celebrating' was fun while it lasted but if I wanted to move closer to any of my next goals, in any reasonable amount of time, I would have to practice what I preach: moderation! Eating 'clean' 80% of the time so that the other 20% I can indulge guilt-free (at least until I'm in contest-prep mode again). So today when I woke up, puffy, foggy, and bloaty from all the foreign food I have been consuming, I started again. Fresh day, fresh me! I had a clean breakfast, went and taught class, had a clean snack, trained some clients, had a clean lunch... I'm just taking it one meal at a time until I feel like me again. Indulgence is fun but willpower is soooo much better (because they come with results... like abs)!
The fact remains that the majority of us work so hard to achieve our aesthetic fitness/health goals because we have a vacation where a bathing suit is the uniform of choice, or a wedding where our arms are going to show, or a high school reunion we want to look amazing at... The event comes and goes along with your willpower and those results! That initial goal and all that hard work that brought you to this body disappears with the event and before you know it, you're back to square 1. Ugh.
I found out the hard way that I need to create a plan for after the competition, win or loose, that will allow me to "celebrate" but only long enough to not undo all my hard work. You need to do the same. Purposely sign up with your trainer a month longer then you "need" to to be ready for that event so you know the Monday after the Reunion, your butt is back doing lunges in that gym! You MUST set yourself up for success!
See that first goal right out there at your fingertips just waiting for you to grab it?
Good.
Now visualize another goal right out beyond that one...
Keep the process moving, keep dreaming, keep reaching for that star (or that size 6) but whatever you do: DON'T STOP CREATING YOUR IDEAL SELF!
Because 'CREATION' doesn't take a break.
Here is to goals!
Here is to success!
Here is to celebrating!
and lastly, Here is to knowing when to stop all that that celebrating and make some NEW goals!
Till next time, I believe in you!
xoxox T
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