10 Things I Learned Competing

1. Self Discipline – This was the #1 thing I learned. I really believe if you can stick to a show prep regime you can get through anything. There’s so many temptations throughout the process. Maybe it was my coach telling me no or getting the inspiration from other competitors, but I learned how to say no to food I wanted to eat, no to cream in my coffee, choosing to workout when I didn’t want to, sometimes two-a-days, saying no to spending time with friends and more.

2. Water Works Wonders – I was never good at drinking enough water, but WOW, the more you drink, the tighter your body gets, the better your skin looks, the better you feel.

3. Food Completely Transforms Your Body – clean up your diet and feed your body the right foods and BAM all your dreams come true. Not to mention carb manipulation the last few days of the show and waking up looking like a completely different person.

4. Can’t Live That Lean 100% of the Time – You look great, but realize that this diet isn’t attainable year round. It’s not healthy. Also, just a little FYI - a lot of models and magazines schedule their photo shoots around competition days, so don’t expect to look like them year round either.

5. Rest Days Are Just as Important as Training Days - Have you ever gone weeks with training only to see no change or progress? Take a few days off, let your body sleep, hydrate, recover and your hard work will show. When you consistently train your body breaks down and breaks down.

6. Tan Always Makes You Look Better – I’m telling you, night and day. Get a good tan and your muscle just pop.

7. You Can Make Healthy Food Taste Great - Just because its healthy doesn't mean it tastes bad. Competing introduced me to sweet potatoes, quinoa and hot sauce :)

8. Recovery is Crucial to Building Your Body - Massages, Cryotherapy, Myofascial Release, Epsom Salt Baths and more, help speed up recovery and reduce the risk of injury, so you can keep growing and performing like you need.

9. Importance of Micronutrients - Yes, you can have perfect carb, proteins, and fat, but what about the right vitamins and minerals? You body needs these in order to maintain your best performance. Micronutrients affect your mood, metabolism, energy levels and more.

10. There’s a Balance Between Happy and Healthy - This was a big one for me. When I completed I enjoyed the competition, the training and the challenge. What I didn’t enjoy was all the things I had to say no too, the extreme dieting and the stress it put on me when my body didn’t look the way I wanted it to. Stepping away from competing on focusing on creating videos and workouts is what makes me happy. Being able to go out and celebrate my friends birthday, take vacation and have a few days away from the gym without freaking out, means a lot to me. Some people enjoy eating so strictly, I’m not one of them. I REALLY wish I was because it would have made my competing days a lot easier. But, that works for some people, but it just wasn't for me.