I am a figure athlete mummy. That’s right. I am one of those women who, one or two times, a year dons a barely-there, blinged-out bikini, clear hooker heals and hits the stage to have my body scrutinized by a panel of nine judges and hundreds of spectators. And if I’m lucky, I get to bring home a tacky bronze trophy (with bigger boobs than me) for my efforts.
For 12 weeks leading up to said competition, I eat nothing but a high protein, low carb, VERY clean diet. Aka boring. We’re talking no sugar, no chocolate, no alcohol, no bagels, no nothing! How is a mom of three to survive without chocolate & alcohol? Seriously.
If you are at all sane you are thinking right now ‘why’? I do it all for my daughters. You see, I’m also a mother to 3 little girls ages 10, 8 and 6. I deeply believe it’s my job in life to teach them to always reach for more, to be better, to step outside comfort zones, to set goals, to go for goals, to believe, to dream. That is why I do it. How can I preach to them all the above without actually practicing any of it?
I grew up with parents who smoked but would tell me not to. So of course as a rebellious teen I did. Well, if I just sit on my ass and tell them to dream, to believe, to set goals and they don’t see me doing that...isn’t that the same thing?
When I’m in competition training, my life is the most sane, the most balanced, the most focused it ever is. It’s not easy being a figure athlete when you’re a mom and a business owner.
A daily schedule looks something like this: wake up at 4:30, off for a workout, home at 6:30am, shower, get the kids up, make breakfasts & lunches, drive them to school, work all day, pick up kids from school, homework, dinner, to bed. Whew. Oh yeah and somewhere in there I should pay attention to my incredibly supportive and patient husband without whom I simply could not do this.
Setting such a huge goal brings a certain calm with it though. My normal life is in constant chaos. The children, the businesses, the chickens, ducks & dogs (did I mention we have those too). But with that stage date looming, everything falls into place. The meals are organized a week in advance, the calendar is set in stone, there’s no wavering what to do today, my adult-onset ADHD disappears.
My last competition in November 2010 really put it all into perspective for me. At age 40, I finally won 1st place. My girls were there to see the whole thing. I can’t even describe the feeling I had, after weeks of hard dieting & exercising, to attain my ultimate goal in front of my girls. Their faces so full of pride and joy, I knew I had accomplished what I’d set out to do.....lead by example.
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