WHY am I doing this. 50 days out!

I am at 50 days. WHOA!! That means in 7 weeks from tomorrow I should be standing on stage in a bikini. CRAZY!

I have been doing average. I have struggled with my food a bit in the past week. Having no control with the jar of peanut butter at home for 3 out of the last 7 nights. I have since got rid of the peanut butter and I will not be buying anymore of it until June 13th. If my kids want it then they can get it at my parents house. They will live.

I am 100% back on track with the food though now and my exercise is still going strong.

I still believe that I am going to make it to the stage.

WHY?

I think that people often wonder "Why in the world would you want to do something like this?" People often comment on how much weight I have lost or how small I have gotten and then I tell them and they are typically in shock (which I completely understand b/c it is a little shocking to me for those words to come out of my mouth...bikini competition). They usually say "Wow" or "Neat". They just don't know how to respond and I totally get that. It is a strange thing to hear from a middle 30 aged person with 2 kids. I mean why would I have the slightest desire to stand on stage in a bikini.

Well here you go, there are several answers to this really good question:

1) As soon as I completed the full marathon last March, 2009 (just a few days following it) I wondered in my mind what I could do next. What next big goal would be on my agenda. I have done a full marathon so the sky is the limit for me is what I was thinking at the time. Coming off a marathon HIGH is AWESOME. I know there are other things like it but I had not experienced anything like that before so I thought the world was mine for the taking. I have some friends from Phit-N-Phat that have competed before.. Corinne, Carla and Lisa. I remember thinking to myself that if Corinne can do a figure competition then I can too. She also ran the marathon with me. So I planted the seed in my mind that I just might want to do a competition in the near future.

2) I wanted to drop my fat percentage. I was not disappointed in my weight at the time around 150ish. It did go up to 158 towards the end of the marathon training but I was decently comfortable in a siz3 8's and 10's BUT I still wanted to lose a little more fat. I had maintained a weight from 150-155 for 2 years and I was fine there but wanted to push it a little and see if I could lose some fat and let the scale fall where it would.

3) I am a dilly dallyer. I just am. I know this about myself. I don't get around to things very well at times. I just kind of hem haw around and get to things when I get to them. I knew if I wanted to drop the fat I would need a BIG goal to get me to where I wanted to be.

4) So with all of those things together, wanting to push myself beyond what I think I am capable of like I did with the marathon and wanting to drop some fat and knowing I may not ever get around to doing it if I don't just put myself out there and commit to something of this magnitude that is why I decided to go for a bikini competition. There are other divisions like figure and bodybuilding but I felt like bikini was the best one for me at this time. You are toned and lean but not too toned (you just don't have to have as much muscle to look like you fit in) and not as lean as a figure competitor at least they don't look it anyway. Not that I don't like the figure competition part b/c I do and who knows I might do one of those one of these days but for now it is just making it to the stage in a bikini and being proud of my results.

Also, I know I am not going to win. That isn't at all what this is about for me. When I set out to do the marathon I never once thought that I would come in first place or even 1000th or even 3000th place. It was about committing to it, putting in the training time and starting and finishing the race with a smile on my face the whole way and then never forgetting the feeling of crossing that glorious finish line.

That is my goal with the bikini comp, I intend to be the BEST ME that I possibly can. The stage is just a place to show myself that I acheived that and I did what I set out to do. I hope I inspire some people along the way and show them that it is NEVER too late to change your life and to become healthy and fit and have the body, mind and healthy heart you always wanted. I am living proof. BELIEVE IT...BE IT!

Comments

Tricia said…
Having a goal/competition/race day to work towards is a great way to stay motivated!
Lindsay said…
AWESOME! Very motivating, I myself have lost over 100 pounds with healthy eating and cardio and weight training. I am just starting to run, I'm training for a half in August. I am amazed at how awesome you look MAJOR CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anonymous said…
Last year I had to stop buying some things too because I couldn't stop picking at it, and I told my kids the same thing, if you want it, you can get it at Grandma's, lol! It's fun to see someone else doing this that is the same age as me and has kids, yea!!!!

Those are great reasons to do a show! And I haven't done a full marathon, only half, but being on stage was JUST as rewarding as that for me, so I think you will feel really really good about accomplishing this!

50 days will go sooo fast, keep hitting it hard! Have a great weekend!
Judging by your most recent photos you are a great example of what we can achieve if we set our minds to it!

I know what you mean about the peanut butter. It's good for you...but not the whole jar! I have kept mine in the freezer at times!

Good luck with the comp :)
Becca said…
Dawn, this was an awesome, well written and well thought out post. Thanks for sharing. I love it.

PS. I'm a dilly dalli-er too. :(
Stacia said…
You certainly inspire me :)

Popular Posts