Jan 28 2012
Competing with Friends. Competing with a Team.
I recently went to the LA Fit Expo,which is where my debut figure show was originally supposed to be. I supported two friends who were competing.
The experience was amazing. Traveling with friends, fellow women, who are focused on exercise and eating healthy is a welcome change from traveling with people who will inevitably say, “Aw…come on, once piece of pizza won’t kill you,” or “Missing your workout today isn’t the end of the world.”
When I wanted to wake up at 5:30 to go to the gym, my friends encouraged me, they didn’t question me. They asked me what exercises I did because they wanted to “live vicariously through me,” since you don’t workout out in the days right before a show.
When I wanted to go to the grocery store to get my food instead of eating the continental breakfast they completely understood. They actually packed their food at home and checked it on the plane. We all simply “got” each other.
These women are figure competitors, but they aren’t just pretty faces. One is a nurse who typically works in brain surgeries. The other is a highly educated personal trainer and fitness instructor who also is a published author.
These women both have all the same excuses not to work out and eat healthy as everyone else does, but they make it happen. These women both have the same fear of getting up in front of judges in one of the tiniest bikinis you can imagine and literally being judged, but they overcome their fear and do it anyway.
It was an amazing experience to travel with women are like me. I felt like I went home. I felt like I had sisters. I felt like I had a team.
I helped them with their hair and eyelashes the day of the show. They showed me how to paint your own tan on. This may seem silly, but believe me, it was a bonding experience.
I truly believe that if you are thinking of competing, if you’re goal is to become a figure competitor, bikini competitor, physique competitor, fitness competitor, or bodybuilder, it is invaluable to have friends who are competing that can guide you through the process.
Having a team of people around you, supporting you, and who truly understand the ups and downs will make your own experience even more significant.
The training and the diet is just the beginning. There are other aspects of competing that may seem silly, like tanning, make up, hair, suits, shoes, posing, or even putting on false eyelashes, that you will want to share stories about. You will want to share these experiences with someone.
Having friends who can help you, laugh with you and help you feel like you’re not alone in the process is something that I believe is truly a necessity.
If you don’t have friends who are competing yet, I will take you on the journey with me. You can see what it’s like from my point of view. I can be your friend. I will share my experiences with you. 
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