Prep Series I

First part of my prep series! Here is what led up to me wanting to compete- my why, my experience, and the beginning phase of the process.

Hey everyone! I am going to be logging and writing about my prep process for my first OCB Wellness show. This is a goal I have had for almost two years and I am so happy to finally be starting this. This series will cover how I feel (mentally and physically), my motivation, and my progress. One thing I will never share are my calories and macros (carbs, proteins, fats). I strongly discourage following someone else's meal plan or cals/macros. There are tons of resources and people to help you find yours. In addition to that, mine are tailored specifically to my goals (as yours should be, too) and in-season meals are going to be different from off-season. Without further ado, here is a recap of what led me up to deciding to compete. 

Pre-prep:

Like I previously stated, this is a goal I have had for almost two years. Yes, social media and seeing others competing did influence my desire to and there is nothing wrong with that. At first, it was just an idea. I did not expect to stick with the desire of wanting to compete for so long, honestly. I have been competing in sports since I was 5. Soccer (my worst sport) to basketball (my longest sport- 7 years) to swim team to volleyball and most things in between. When I stopped sports junior year of high school, I got really into the gym and lifting- mostly machines and dumbbells in a quiet corner. However, I never stepped foot into the free weight area until I was a freshman in college (2020). I would come home most weekends because I missed my gym and enjoyed the focus I had there.

Throughout 2021, I started to fall in love with pushing myself and really was driven by the mental clarity I got through fitness. Beginning of 2022, I started working with a trainer and I realized how much I was not pushing myself. I strongly suggest working with a trainer at least once, regardless of your fitness level! Working with one made me fall in love with trying to find my potential in the field and it also helped me noticed how much I actually was not eating. Eat your food!! I noticed a lot more progress when properly fueling myself. There is also so much to learn in this constantly changing field and numerous perspectives, techniques, and means may help you both learn and grow.

After a few months, I went back to working out on my own. I then got really into compound lifting and my friends helped me see how much I was capable of. Throughout 2022, I kept trying to find the time for me to begin prep. It was (still is) the main thing on my mind. God bless the people who had to hear me continuously talk about wanting to do it but never starting haha. It is not something to be rushed and even though I was discouraged each time I pushed it back, I am so so so thankful I did! The timing was not right and why do something if you can't give it 110%? (That may be the extremist in my talking, though.) I used the setbacks to research more and more, and now I feel like I have a fairly clear view of what I am getting into. Beginning prep now feels very natural, aligned, and worth the wait. It does not feel rushed or forced. Pushing the start of prep back about 3 months made a huge difference.

Competing is not for everyone so if you just like bodybuilding (training mostly for aesthetics) but feel pressured to compete- you don't have to. It is a mental game just as much as a physical game. I don't train for how I look. I train for how I feel. Differentiating between the two is why I believe I am going to be okay through this process. Being a 20 year old girl, I know that how we look is seemingly a big factor in our confidence. I don't think anyone is going to remember how hot we looked at 20 when we are 80 and realize life is so much more than appearance, if I am being honest.

I also believe that having a "why" statement for whatever you do is so important. My why for competing:

- Potential- I want to see what I am capable of mentally and physically. 

- Self-discipline- I always felt like this is a field I was not great in. I do not think that as much now but I still want to prove I have it and can achieve it. 

- Genuinely just wanting to learn- I care more about the prep process than the stage process. The tan and sparkles last a day. What I am going to learn through this, in combination with my degree,  is going to be applicable to various aspects of life. I already have learned so much from my trainer and it is mind blowing how much goes into a process like this.

- Control. Really, no one should be surprised about this part from me. While deciding to do a competition, there was a period where a lot of things were out of my control so I felt like there needed to be something that could be a constant that I could control.

Control is the aspect, in my opinion, that is having both positive and negative effects. In prep, you measure out everything you consume. Having to sacrifice eating out with friends and family has been a little difficult. I genuinely do not feel like people are judgemental or "waiting for me to fail", though, so a lot of people are understanding and respectful about doing things other than eating. If I do go with them, I just bring my own food, do not eat and enjoy their company, or plan ahead! Most chains (like Starbucks) have their macros and cals already posted, by the way! Starbucks sandwiches are saving me when I work and do not want to prep food.

I am 6 weeks into prep and I am loving it more than I anticipated! The future posts regarding prep will be broken down into time periods and what I have learned, enjoyed the most, and my progress. I feel like I am going into this with confidence and within the last 6 weeks, my confidence and belief in myself has only increased. It has been rewarding having people notice that and different changes without me having announced prep (just mentioning it an annoying amount of times in conversations).

Thank you for taking the time to read this! I am going to be posting more of the progress on @liftswithris on Instagram, as well as try to upload here as much as I can! I started prep 19 Dec so anything posted since then is me in prep, even though I have not announced it until now.

My words of 2023- steadfast and resilient. This is only the beginning.