Sunday (April 30th)
Today wasn’t so bad because it was my last high carb day until Friday. I loaded up on my sweet potatoes (my favorite) and threw in a little jasmine rice as well just to keep things interesting. I also enjoyed half a pint of Arctic Zero… not as good as Halo Top, but it was a lower calorie option. I did a longer steady state cardio session and went to the gym in the evening for a lower body lift. Overall, I felt pretty good. Bring on the week and the fish! It’s peak week – I can do anything!
Monday (May 1st)
Words to describe today? Barf. That isn’t even an adjective, but it is the first word that comes to mind. I was literally – not figuratively AT ALL – gagging while eating cod fish. I hate fish. Omg. Guys… I honestly thought I was going to puke while swallowing it. Is that possible? I also had a full day of teaching and a class to coach after work (also after my second workout), so this day was rough all around. One day of fish down… three to go! I had some concerns about how I was going to make it. I started today off with some fasted cardio and went back for a light upper body session. A good lift definitely cheered me up a bit!
Tuesday (May 2nd)
My coach is a lifesaver. If you have to eat white fish and you don’t like fish (ie: me), then eat swai. It tastes so mild compared to others and it is super thin, and for some reason I like to think that helps with the texture. I had this for my second and fourth meals today, and it went down so much easier than yesterday’s cod. I also started today with cardio and went back for a light lower body lift. I also had some appointments today to get ready for Saturday, so I ran around doing errands after work. It was a busy (but good) day.
Wednesday (May 3rd)
Today was an intense mental struggle. I missed my carbs and work was wearing me down. I kept getting online to read about the infamous peak week and what it was like for other people. I wanted justification that they felt as hungry and unmotivated as I did. I found that reassurance, and I also read other stories as well. Either way, I decided that I need to suck it up and keep on keepin’ on! The show is almost here. Just keep prepping.
Today consisted of my last steady-state cardio session. A few years ago, I would have rejoiced at this fact, but I’ve kind of come to enjoy steady-state. I use this time to catch up on YouTubers that I like [Heidi Somers, Amanda Bucci, Emily Duncan, Layne Norton]. I also did a light upper body session.
Thursday (May 4th)
I took a half day at work today to get ready. I originally had a photo-shoot planned, but that was shifted to next week. I took a rest day today and just spent time packing and making sure I had everything ready to head up to Chicago in the AM! Let me know if you’re interested in a blog about what I packed – I was quite happy with everything I brought! 🙂
Friday (May 5th)
THE DAY BEFORE THE SHOW! Today’s major focus: freaking out about my spray tan. So. Many. Horror. Stories. People sitting on the toilet and getting a ring on their legs, girls who splash too much while using the restroom and getting spots… AH! Can you imagine? Turning for you back pose and have these weird spots?? This caused me much anxiety if you can’t tell.
We left for Chicago around eight in the morning. We had a few pit stops to make along the way, and I entertained myself driving while Ace slept (poor guy had just worked the night shift). We got to the gym for registration and tanning nice and early. Registration was a breeze. I ended up measuring for B height class even though I had originally signed up for A *oops. It was an easy switch though!
Okay. The big event: tanning. It was definitely interesting to say the least. I went upstairs where they had me strip down and put on a hairnet – attractive, I know. I was then sprayed with one layer of a dark, I-spent-a-month-in-Mexico-with-no-SPF tan. After a second layer, I was ushered into a room full of girls standing in front of tans drying. Naked. All naked. Everyone. I definitely felt like some kind of a crazy alien standing with this dorito-y tan naked with my arms sticking straight out, but honestly… I’d worked my tail off for three months for the best body I’ve ever had, so the naked part didn’t bother me once I got past the initial shock. No one else really cared either. After standing around for about thirty minutes, I was released from the warm-ish fan room into the brisk hallway and told I was free to go. I gingerly put my clothes back on, bought some glaze to put on right before stage, and out the door I went.
We were checked into the hotel pretty early, so we spent the evening watching TV, checking to make sure I hadn’t messed up my tan every ten minutes, and “relaxing.” I was SO ready for the next day!
Saturday (May 6th)
SHOW DAY! Another blog coming soon… 🙂 Spoiler: the tan thing truly was not a big deal, so don’t panic about yours!
