Wednesday Weigh-In

As a total competition newbie, no matter how much reading and research I do, I feel like I'm still going to be taken by surprise by a lot of things throughout the process, and especially on the day of (and days following) my first competition.

For this week's Wednesday Weigh-in, I went to some of my new friends who have different levels of experience with competing in the "Fitness Model" and "Bikini" divisions of various federations, and asked them to weigh-in on the one thing they WISH they'd known before their first competition...Their responses were quite different, and as I get more responses, I'll continue to add them below!

Sally Leung: "Honestly, I didn't know what to expect on my first competition, but thinking back, I learned that it is not about focusing on any one thing or copying past winners, it's about finding yourself, maximizing all your assets and creating your own styles. Afterall (like Clark [Bartram] says), competition results don't mean anything if you don't give it meaning. My suggestion to new competitors is to focus on improving every aspect of yourself and measure your success based on personal improvements through the competition process."

Judika Timar: "that you HAVE to have the best suit...jewelry etc..and that no matter how good you look...its political.....I am glad that I did do the 2 competitions...but I have no desire to ever do it again...It is not for me...you have to make sure the posing is perfect too..the walk..."

Lucien Gautreau: "One thing that I wished [someone] had told me .. well honestly I must say that it would probably be something like... "this is going to be one of the best experiences of your life, so don't stress to much and focus only on yourself, be open and get out there, meet as many people as you can. Enjoy the pleasures of being in the presence of such positive like-minded people and embrace every moment, as you will meet some of the greatest people and make some of the greatest friends." .. and make sure you wax 1 week before show day! :P"

Amber Dunford: When I sat down with Amber last weekend, her one thing she wished she'd known was that the tan would be SO DARK!  She put it on for the first time, panicked, then went on to mix it with baby oil to lighten it up...after the fact, she realized that she could have been ten shades darker!

Jacinthe Amyot: "The most important I would say to anybody who wants to enter the Fitness World is : Do never underestimate the importance of being well surrounded to attain success and reach your objectives. You really have to choose the right persons who will support you, share with you and spread positive energy all over the place :)"

The best way to prepare for something is to learn from those who have gone before you - as I get closer to my first competition, I hope to be ready for the good, the bad, and the ugly...

I HIGHLY recommend that you click on the names of the very talented, inspirational, beautiful, and above all else, helpful people above who are open books to anyone willing to listen and learn from their experiences - I've linked to each of their pages, and you really can gain a wealth of knowledge by following them and subscribing to their pages!  I know that I plan to learn everything that I can from their stories!

Love yourself and prove it!
xo
Mandy