Be supportive.

Focus on the finish

When a friend or a family member has made the commitment to start competing, he/she is about to make an incredible lifestyle change and believe me or not, it's everything but easy.

Being a competitor myself , I can give you one advice: be supportive as a friend or family member. I experienced this during my first prep myself, I had ups and ,mostly, downs and I had a lot of mood swings, like being that cute little gismo gremlin and a minute later I was the 3rd generation gremlin, being all grumpy and angry.

To prepare for a contest you are pushing yourself beyond your limits, physically and mentally. So what you say to a competitor-beginner can have a very negative or a positive impact on your relation, during the preparation or after the contest. Therefore I made a list of things you better keep to yourself.

1. 'Don't build up too much muscle': 

This one is as old as the hills. I can't hear it myself anymore.

Before saying this to your friend, ask your friend to explain his new passion to you. I'm well aware that when someone tells you that they start competing in bodybuilding contest, you are likely to think about Arnold Schwarzenegger or about the real bodybuilding women, right?

No worries: If it was that easy too build muscle in such a short period, oh heaven I think everybody would be a bodybuilder. It takes decades of intense training and dedication to reach such a level.

Whether you like it or not, a strong women is beautiful too. I respect every athlete and every category of bodybuilding competitions because in every category you have to work hard to reach the physique you want.

And you should respect every athlete too, since they all have to work off their butts. 

2. 'You are training too much' :

Oh my... I don't even remember how often I was told this.

It may sound crazy when your are told that someone is working out for hours, 5 times a week and dedicating their spare-time to training, cardio and meal preparations. It sounds like a huge sacrifice, but for a competitor it's not. For them it has turned into a lifestyle that is everything but average. 

Before I started competing, I was partying every weekend once or twice, went to bars, restaurants or to the movies almost every weekend. Now, the last time I was at a restaurant was for Christmas, which was also the last time I went to a club. (Plus, we left very early as I wanted to workout the day after...)

So don't molest your friend when he/she doesn't want to go out to be fit the day after in order to hit an intense training routine.

3. 'You have become too skinny':

Funny how fast the coin can flip...

Before the prep you said that your friend shouldn't become too muscular, now you are telling them not to become too skinny. 

The closer a competitor gets to the D-Day, the more body fat they are about to lose and it seems like they have become super skinny. But no, they have just become leaner, and they will lower their body-fat percentage even more the closer the show comes. 

Usually a competitor only remains that lean (or skinny how you would call it) for a short period of time, namely for the show day and sometimes for photo shoots post-contest. In the 'off-season' they are more likely to have that 'healthier' look again, except for some fitness models.

4.'Come on, One bite won't kill you':

Well yes, it will.

One bite will just lead to another tiny bite and another and another...

Pretty fast your friend can get completely 'off track' , lose the focus and all the previous weeks and months of training and dieting will be lost. So yes, one bite can 'kill'...someones goals.

When you enter a contest-prep it's all or nothing. When your goal is to push beyond the limits, well then you have to change your priorities. A first time competitor will learn that food is fuel and that the connection they once had with fast food won't be so powerful anymore.So instead of forcing them to have one bite, support them and don't give them no bite at all, even when they are about to get really mad. You have to stay supportive (and strong) to resist.

And here some words to my kindred spirits:

Bodybuilding competitions are challenging and with continuous effort you will grow strength. You are about to learn what is good and what is bad for your body, you will try out different types of diets and training routines. Always keep in mind that it's a journey. You will be criticized by people so often that a supportive and motivating surrounding becomes very important for your journey.

When you are competing, it doesn't matter what other people say or think about you and your physique. You will always find yourself with people that don't accept your lifestyle. 

Wishing you a successful continuation.

How I spend my Friday evening instead of going out

No bite! Stay strong!

#pumpingfairy

Another week has passed and the start of the new season is getting closer and closer... 

This year it will be a very long season which will start on the 28th of March in with the 'Top de Colmar' in France , then the J-M.B Open in Differdange (Luxembourg) which is also a qualification for the World championships in Warsaw (Poland) and, hopefully, the Miss FIBO Power Beauty-contest (you can vote HERE for me once a day ).

After the FIBO-competition I can carb up a little up before shredding again for the West-German Qualification for the International Championship in Rheinbach (Germany), which is on the 10th of May. If I get to qualify, I have to bear up until the end of May. So to sum it up, this season will start on the 28th of March and finish the 30th of May, 2 months of shredding... Challenge excepted!

Therefore I am more than happy to have such a great fit-army who supports and motivates me in every possible way. If you are not on holidays at the beginning of April, you are cordially invited to come to the J-M.B Open championship to support local athletes. You can already reserve your tickets at the Powerfood's J-M.B shop or send him an email (contact here). 

Oh... by the way, here are my #pumpingfairy favorites of the week. If you need motivation or support on your journey , feel free to join us by hash-tagging your fitness&health-related posts on Instagram with #pumpingfairy and get the chance to be featured on my Facebook-page, Instagram-account and of course here on the blog. 

Have a great weekend and enjoy your cheat-meals ( I see everything *sneaky-laugh*)

1. My super yummy and delicious selfmade potato-chips, spiced with Flavor God seasonings

2. xeniia_93 on her way to the gym

3. travel.jill doing some exercises on the ball, looks like a lot of fun

4. sarah_48612 had a little workout again after her cold. Hope you are feeling better by now.

5. sopheylicious 's 'what's in my bag'. I love your pink shoes, so pretty.

6. aline_janie sharing her heavenly red-berries-brownies with us.

7. lauragetsfit.14 had instant oats with strawberries and some apples for breakfast along with a cozy tea.

8. alexscastle 's oatmeal, made with almond milk, cinnamon, vanilla protein powder and of course oats.

9. pia_fit03 had a little curd-ball as a cheat on Sunday. Mhhm how I love those pastries around the carnival season.

Fitfriday: 1 Step closer!

Hey fitfam!

Finally, it's Friday! Which means week-end! Awesome! Have you already planned something for your weekend, or just recovering from the week's workout, or are you still going to workout?

I had to take a break from training because I caught a cold. Dammit! I can hardly breath, so no gym for me since Wednesday...

Even though I feel a bit miserable, Ken (my boyfriend) and I had our first check-up at Jean-Marie's yesterday and it was better than expected.

First of all , what I like most about him is that he is 100% honest, in luxembourgish you would say ' From the lung to the tongue'. Which means if he thinks that you still look flabby, he says it outright. This made me a bit timid when I first met him, so for yesterday's check-up I was kind of , let's say, 'nervous'.

I didn't know what he would think of my current form, but worst of all what would he tell me?!

So when it was time to check my form he was quite satisfied, even though I wasn't sticking to a concrete diet or training plan. He thinks that my overall muscles are very proportional and that there won't be any problem to be ready for this year's winter season competition in 'bikini class'. Already, wow! This motivates me even more! ( Ego booster hehe)

That's Jean-Marie, he looks quite scary but he is such a nice person!

I think you can have an awesome coach who will prepare you very well for your competitions, who will give you a great training and diet plan by which you can achieve great progresses. But I think it is also important that you feel comfortable with your coach. Most coaches aren't interested in what you have been eating before or how you have been training before. They simply ask what your goal is and then they develop a program for you, mostly in the gym. I mean how 'personal' is that...?

J-M is the one on the left. 

But J-M. is different. He asks you in advance to write down your eating and training habits for one week and then hand it to him. On this paper you list everything you eat and how you train, which supps you take, how often and how much each day.

Then, when you meet again, like Ken and I , he asks you to visit him at HOME! That's what I call personal!

He goes through the list and again asks you exactly if you have sticked to this or not. He takes care of your eating preferences(like; I can't eat raw or cooked paprika), how your working shifts are and when you have time to hit the gym.

J-M during a competition! Great form!

I am honest I couldn't imagine a better coach than J-M. He has a lot of experience in coaching athletes for competitions as he has been competing too and while he is the president of the NAC Luxembourg federation, he is well informed about the criteria and the judgments for the several competition-classes.

I finally got my License! YAY!

So now that I finally got my license for the competitions, I can't wait to get my diet & training plan, which J-M will set up now, to get started. Looking forward to rocking the stage with a badass form in winter!

Stay tuned!