NPC October 2014

You Win Some, You Lose Some. 

And that's okay! 

That's how it should be!! 

If I got first place in every show, I don't think I would enjoy this sport quite so much.

But like.. maybe one first-place trophy would be nice... Hahahah 

No but really, I am so happy with my accomplishments.

Whether I place or not, I'm proud of myself. 

I won't lie, I was a little bit frustrated with some of the judging. 

I was only frustrated because you just can never know what to expect. 

At my last show, the same judges picked very very muscular girls. 

I placed 5th in that show, and when I looked at pictures, I knew that I needed to put on more muscle.

So I spent the last few months doing that. 

Same judges....

Different show...

And apparently different preferences. 

Some of the girls were very muscular, but most of the winners were very lean (in my opinion). 

YOU JUST NEVER KNOW. 

But here are some things I took away from this show:

*ALWAYS come in with your personal BEST. 

*I won't try to conform to what the judges like. I like a lot of muscle on my frame. I like super round shoulders. I like ABS (still workin on those hehe). I like the way the IFBB pros look. And I'm going to keep trying to put on muscle and come in really tight and as shredded as possible for these shows. Some days that may be what the judges are looking for, some days it wont. 

*My body responds really well to carbs on competition day. I felt like I looked better for the night show, than I did for the prejudging.. because I ate a baked potato in between. Good to know, for this next show. Might want to eat a baked potato before the morning show! 

*It's so much easier when you have friends there. I have my girl Hannah who was competing with me. I've also built a lot of relationships from this whole experience and I'm so grateful for each one of them. It makes it all a lot more fun. 

*The most important thing is to not take it too seriously, and to stay positive even if you don't place! 

I have another chance this weekend at the NGA show. Some of the same judges will be there. I'm loading my water again (after dropping it for the last show). I won't lie... it is more of a challenge the second week in a row. And it was reeeaaaally hard not to pig out after that last show. This week feels like a complete blur so far... and it's only Wednesday! Haha I'm just hoping my body will drop the water the way I want it to! This show will be so much fun and I feel a lot more relaxed now after doing the other one! :)

Let's GET IT! 

Strawberries: one of my favorite pump-up foods. 

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Another favorite pump-up food :) Believe it or not, my body responds well to them! 

Rice cakes! As weird as it sounds... these are probably my favorite pump-up food. They taste SO good on show day. Probably because my body is starved for carbs! Put a little natural peanut butter on there and I feel like a million bucks! 

Hannah Gregory! One of my very best friends! She did great! She'll be competing this weekend as well!! 

Game Time. 

Yes I know my face looks lighter than my body. And yes you have to be orange. 

Love when my mama takes these candid shots :) 

My girl Kami! 

My biggest supporters <3

Peak Week!

   Here we go!! It's the beginning of peak week! Like I've said before, I LOOOVE peak week! It's the most fascinating thing to me! Your body changes so much in this one week! For people who don't know what peak week is... it's the week of your competition. For me, it means leaning out that last little bit. It means drinking tons of water at the beginning of the week (2 and a half gallons) and then cutting to only 1/2 gallon by the end of the week! Doing that really makes your muscle show. It's also a weird week because you only train at the beginning of the week, and your workouts are a little lighter than usual. You also don't train legs this week (as a bikini competitor, your legs will hold more water if you train them this week, and you typically want your legs to look very lean). The diet is also a little different, lower sodium at the end of the week so you wont retain water. And then of course, the spray tan ties everything together and makes your muscle really show! It's just really cool to me that your body can change so much over a week!

   Like I mentioned last week, I've been sick. What I thought was a head cold, actually has turned out to be strep throat. It kind of puts a damper on things, and makes it a liiiittle harder to find energy to train... but I'm determined to stay on track, get lots of rest, and still bring my best self to the show! :)

This describes how you feel as a bodybuilder perfectly:

Less Than 2 Weeks Out!

         It's hard to describe the way I feel when I'm a couple weeks out from competition. My emotions are sooo sensitive and so up and down. One day I'll feel amazing and ready and excited. The next day (or even a few hours later) I might feel awful and start to wonder if I'm making a mistake by competing. It's not easy. I'm sure if you've competed before, you know what I'm saying. You look at your body through a magnifying glass, picking away at every single detail. Thinking of things that you could have done differently. It's a good thing and a bad thing. It's a good thing to strive to be your very best self. It's a good thing to stay hungry and never be completely satisfied (I'm not talking about food here). That is something that builds champions. But it's also so important to remember that you're doing your best. To not beat yourself up about things that you didn't do. To not compare yourself to others or look down on yourself. It is SO important to focus on the positive right now. Some days are really hard for me. Some days I start to feel discouraged or someone makes a comment that I can't stop thinking about. But it's almost here. I've worked hard and I've given it my all. I have to just trust myself and trust God and know that whatever happens will make me stronger. I love competing and I am so excited to be on that NPC Utah stage in less than TWO WEEKS!!!! :)

Less Than 3 Weeks!!

My competition is 3 weeks from yesterday! That is insane. This is CRUNCH TIME!! Unfortunately this is also HEAD COLD season. And when you're losing body fat, your immune system is more weak. I got hit with the head cold a couple weeks ago. I thought I was done with it... then it hit me REAL hard a few days ago. I've got a super stiff back and neck, headache, dizziness, nausea, the whole shebang. It's no fun. So here are my tips to recovering. I'm hoping to be back to normal within a couple of days so that I can give these competitions my all! :)

Tip #1: Take your vitamins. You should be taking a multivitamin every day. You also need to make sure that you're still eating and following your diet... even when NOTHING SOUNDS GOOD!! Hahah

Tip #2: Drink water. For obvious reasons that you've literally heard hundreds of times in your life. It will also help flush out those sick germs.

Tip #3: REST.  While I think you still need exercise when you're sick, you also need a lot of rest for recovery. If you're body wants to sleep in until 1 in the afternoon... it needs it. So let yourself rest as much as possible and maybe take your workouts a little more easy. Or.... as much as I hate to say this... take a day or two off.

Tip #4: Focus on positive things and on getting better. I really believe that what you think, you become. I think that the more you focus on healing, the faster your body will heal. If you're having a hard time being positive (or if you're really bored, stuck in bed) watched reruns of the Olympia that went on this weekend! That is insane motivation.

That's about all I've got. And I know they're pretty obvious but... oh well. I'm gonna give these next few weeks my absolute best, no matter how my body is feeling. XoXo

Focus on All You Are Becoming.

Soooo it's been a loooong time since I've posted. I've been busy with work and also with fun.I thought I would just give a quick update and maybe...just maybe.... I can try to keep up a little bit better. So. I am 3 and a half weeks out from my next competition! Really 4 and half but peak week (the week right before) doesn't count!! I've been carb cycling and I've also been on a new training split that I really like! I've also been taking some supplements from Beverly International (bodybuilding.com). I take Lean Out and Muscularity. They are helping me lean out a lot and still keep muscle. Although, I have not been happy with my shoulders. Definitely losing muscle there. But it's okay! I will focus extra hard on them for the next few weeks and make sure I'm eating enough protein and everything! For a while I felt like I wasn't going to be ready for this show. It is scary to commit to something like this. But, I know that I love competing. I am going to do the show for sure. All I can do is go super hard these next few weeks and bring the best package I possibly can.

NPC Utah June 2014

Here are the professional pictures taken by Chris Nicoll at the June NPC Utah show:

Check out Tiara's Fitness Profile

Hot in Utah PARTY TONIGHT!!!

 

      TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT!! I think there has been a bit of confusion about what this party is! To clear things up...it's a fun mixer for all kinds of fitness people! Whether you're a fitness competitor, model, trainer, or you own (or work for) a fitness business. It's a fun way to get to know other people in this industry and also get your name out there at the same time! It's full of amazing opportunities including lots of prizes, a class taught by Natalie Minh and a sponsorship will even be given to one lucky person!! The party starts at 7 pm TONIGHT! It's at the Fitness Mansion which is 11 Cobblewood Cv Sandy, Utah 84092. FREE ENTRY for all fitness people PLUS ONE. Others will be charged $25 at the door. BRING YOUR ID!! You will be carded at the door! And don't forget, it is club attire! Men: button up collared shirts, nice pants and shoes. Polos don't count (hehe). Ladies: cocktail dresses! This is going to be so much fun!! If you haven't already, please go to FCDB.com to RSVP! It's quick and easy! 

      Also please check out my profile on fcdb.com and create your own fitness profile while you're there! Such a fun, easy way to get your name out there and find other fitness people, so that we can all help each other along! I'm so honored to be a part of this amazing new website! Please check out these pages on instagram as well! Thanks!

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