The World Of Figure Competition - One Mom's Journey Part I

I met Lei 14 years ago, when I had just moved into the area. She was a friendly, out-going gal and had definite ideas about what she wanted, in all situations! She and I did a few things together, like hiking up to a waterfall, going on a bike ride, doing a Hawaiian dance class together, and going out to lunch. She was born in Hawaii and is very proud of her ancestry. Every Sunday she brought the most beautiful bouquets of flowers to set on the podium at church. It was a really special touch. 

I knew her to be very active-- into physical fitness, running and weight training specifically. We were members of the same gym at one time. We worked out at different times but each of us pretty regularly.  Those were the days when I was fairly hard-core (for me!), doing yoga, dance, weights and cycling. Time has passed, and now I am doing great when I walk my dog a couple of miles and do some of my exercise CD's!

Lei, on the other hand, took physical fitness to a whole different level after I moved out of her neighborhood a few years back. Before I left, I remember her stating that she wanted to do something cool before she turned 50. She is now right around 50 and yeah boy, she is showing what 50 looks like!

Lei just competed in her first body-building show and
walked away with a 5th place trophy in True Novice Figure A. She also placed 8th in both Masters A and Figure A! That is crazy good for the first time!
Here is her story and proof that it's possible to do anything you want and age doesn't have to be a factor!

In 1987 Lei became interested in body-building. She felt especially weak one day, as she tried to move the bed in her dorm room, making a hole in the dry wall in the process. She wanted to get stronger, and thus weight lifting was what she was drawn to. Back in the 80's Cory Everson was very popular.
"I looked up to her, even though I never aspired to become a bodybuilder at that time.  I just wanted to become stronger and toned.  I continued to lift weights and run from that time forward.  Back in the `80's it was thought that a woman should not lift while pregnant because the blood would be diverted to the muscles instead of the baby.  We know better now. So I would take time off  of lifting when I was pregnant with my first two.  Later, I lifted and ran when I was pregnant with the last two."

Lei with two of her 4 children

Lei continued lifting weights, but never went heavy. She always felt that running was the gold standard for getting fit and toned. She continued with that routine for years--lifting light and running for miles daily. She was a member of a local gym and her girlfriend was her trainer. She noticed miner changes to her body, but nothing major. But, she says, "Deep in my soul I did want to become more muscular, but never quite knew how to pursue it. I love muscles on individuals, especially on women. I wanted defined muscles and to look like a bodybuilder."

Then in 2012 she saw an ad for a 90-day challenge.  Both she and her husband signed up as a couple.  Unfortunately the trainer did not know how to train individuals that already had a pretty good knowledge of weight training.  She did well with clients that were new to weight training.  Lei knew she needed to get to the next level  Her girlfriend referred her to a trainer that was an MMA fighter.  She started training with him and noticed a huge difference right away.  He was very knowledgeable and made her work hard.  She progressed under his tutelage, dropping body fat and weight. Her goal was to lose body fat, but she did not want to just become skinny or thin.

 "I didn't want to be a skinny fat.  I wanted muscles.  My trainer knew what I wanted and did things to help me achieve my goals.  When I grew enough that I could train on my own, I found that I plateaued. I stayed at this weight and body fat for about a year. It was a good weight, but I wanted more. I started subscribing to Hers Muscle & Fitness magazine.  I would follow their workouts and nutritional guidance.  I found some success."

But mainly her success was through having a personal trainer and nutritional coach. This was news to me because I really thought one could go the distance on their own, if they had the discipline and knowledge. Obviously, you need an expert to help you if you want to pursue the course of building lots of lean muscle. And that is what Lei found out. She says that even trainers have trainers because it's all about accountability and support.

 She chose someone she knew at a local gym, who had actually competed before in the Masters Division and placed. She felt like she would be a great fit with her objectives and personality. They met weekly and she gave her an individualized nutritional plan, tweaking it every week to help her meet her goals.  She was the one who said Lei should compete.  "When someone believes in you, it is hard to resist", she said. Truthfully, she DID want to compete.  That is why she chose her in the first place. So to have her say she should compete was motivating and what she wanted to hear.  

Her initial twelve weeks went from 26.3% body fat and 130.3 lbs. to 19.1% bf and 119.0 lbs. Of course she was dedicated to the nutritional plan and never deviated.  "I continued following my nutritional program even though I stopped meeting with Maria.  I knew the NPC (National Physique Committee) was having a show in March 2015; I had attended the show in Oct 2014 per Maria, just to see what goes on at competition.  I really liked the show.  I also knew that I needed 12 weeks to prep for a show, so I contacted Maria in December and told her I wanted to compete. "

 









Lei started her transformation Dec 18th.  "I was happy that I maintained my body fat and weight at 119 lb. and 19% Body Fat. This made it easier to train, because I was already pretty lean, muscular, and conditioned. I got down to 111.1 lbs and 12.1% bf.  This is important to record because in the future, we will know where I need to get to to be competition ready.  My biggest inspiration is IFBB Pro, Erin Stern.  I love her philosophy and she is so down-to-earth.  Besides, she works hard and I love her physique." 

Not all Lei's family was supportive at first.  Her oldest son was from the start.  Then her youngest son quickly became supportive. Her daughter struggled a little, then got on board.  Her husband had issues through the training, all the way to the competition.  "I don't believe he really was fully invested until the night of competition.  But when I started getting praise and congratulations from people, he changed his mind!"  

Since this was her first time competing, Lei and her trainer didn't know what body fat % she could get down to and be lean, but not too lean.  So Maria, her trainer, wanted to see how close to 8 or 10% she could get.  During peak week, the last week she got down to 12.1%  So that is now her base line.  They felt that if she got any leaner, she would look skeletal.  Everyone is so different, and someone can get to 8% and be good.  "My body was good at 12%  So in the future that is my goal."  The BMI is really just a calculation based on a persons height and weight.  It is not a measurement.  One focuses on body fat.  The weight will come off and is not as important as the % of fat.  "I gained 2.69 lbs of lean mass (muscle) and lost a total of 18.1 lbs.  I lost a total of 14.2% bf and 17.5 inches off my body.  I am so pleased with my results!!! I could not believe the numbers.  Every week I would drop.  Sometimes I gained, but it was oz. not lbs. and less than 1%! Then the next week, I would drop what I gained and more.  I would often forget what the numbers really were.  I was so stoked. "

Some people would be amazed at just seeing themselves transform into a lean, athletic speciman. But that wasn't enough for Lei. She had come this far and now it was time to compete! 

Check Part II of Lei's personal journey into the world of Figure Modeling Competition! 

Some Of My Met Gala Favorites

The Met Gala was on Monday and if you love fashion, this was the place to be! At $25,000 a ticket, one has the right to dress and express themselves in pretty much  any way they choose. This year's theme was "China: Through The Looking Glass".  I chose a few of my favorites!

Beyonce - Again and again she pushes the envelope, this time in a gold sequined, chiffon number that leaves little to the imagination. If you got it, flaunt it? 

Anne Hathaway - I do love her as an actress. She gives every role she has her all. This gold lame, chain mail number makes her rail thin body look like it almost has curves! Her face is so beautiful that she can do anything with it.

Jennifer Lawrence - As far removed from Katniss as she could be in this faux two-piece body conscious dress. Look at the necklace she is wearing!  I'm still trying to decide if I like it with the outfit or not!

Helen Mirren - What a classy look. How old is she? She is a UK National Treasure. She looks stunning. The earrings accent her outfit so well, along with the clutch!

Sarah Jessica Parker - Who could pull anything like this off? I actually like it! She looks like an evil witch queen from a 'Game Of Thrones' novel. But if you're going for that look, she pulled it off magnificently!

Selena Gomez - Not sure I understand what she is trying to pull off. Maybe she's going for the naughty nun look! What makes it turn from elegant to slightly ridiculous is the head piece.  

Katie Holmes - Tom Cruise's ex is looking mighty coy these days! The front of her gown is very demure and then she turns around and it's very daring! It makes for a bit of a surprise. Well-played!

Kate Hudson - Kate was accompanied by the designer who designed her dress - Michael Kors. The dress is very detailed in its stitched design. The train is just right and the front is well-proportioned and flattering. I'm not sure what it looks like in the back, but the front is gorgeous.

Which outfit is your favorite? Which is your least favorite?

A To Z Blog Challenge Reflection + Motivating Monday Link-Up

 Having just completed my stint as an A To Z Blogger and having mostly survived the challenge, I come away with a few brief words of reflection. 

• It is possible to write every day! I now know I can and do have things to say daily. 

• It is not possible to write a great post every single day!  There were days where I threw things together just to be able to say I posted that day.

• Sometimes a bad post will get traffic, but usually it's a fluke! It happened for me but I think it was coming off the heels of one of my better posts. The good post drew some repeat traffic and I'm sorry to say, those that came back were probably disappointed with the next post. Lesson learned - when you have a great post, come up with another great post so you can retain your traffic!

• I found some great new blogs that have great material--blogs that I want to check out again and again. Most likely I will visit some of these blogs to find posts that I'd like to feature on Motivating Monday. So you A To Z Bloggers, watch out! I'll be visiting!

Today is Motivating Monday!  We all need a little motivation!  I, for one, love to explore other sites for motivating, mostly non-sponsored posts, tips, pictures and videos!  If I happen to find a great one, I'll link it up and share it with you on Twitter via the #MotivatingMonday hashtag!  It's like being featured!  Sometimes I miss some amazing posts.  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! Don't be shy--I'm really very supportive!  Remember, any link to your posts helps your blog numbers increase!  To start things off, here is a great quote by Zig Ziglar!

 

Z Is For Zeal #AToZChallenge

This has been quite a marathon. The A To Z Challenge is finally at an end, and I'm hoping I went after it with zeal. I have to say, I probably couldn't have done it without Alice from Softball Alice. Thank you, thank you, my friend! Cookies for you tomorrow! They are good, I sampled some!

Zeal is a word that isn't used quite as much as it was years ago, but it is still pertinent. Consider these great quotes from those who knew!

"Just as food eaten without appetite is a tedious nourishment, so does study without zeal damage the memory by not assimilating what it absorbs." --Leonardo da Vinci

 

 It is fascinating that the great artist had this insight. Is he saying that studying is really quite useless unless somewhere in the process you become motivated by what you are studying? Wonderful teachers can instill that kind of zeal in a student if they are experienced in their field. Not only do teachers need to have knowledge of what they are teaching about, they also must have skill in imparting that knowledge so that it is interesting on some level. After that, it is the responsibility of the learner to take that knowledge, become absorbed in it, learn it and then make it a part of you! I believe that those kinds of teachers are rare enough. That is why I believe in rewarding skilled teachers. 

 

"I believe that fitness needs to come from within you. You need to respect your body. Only then will you have the zeal to maintain it. For me, keeping fit is a part of my lifestyle." --Arjun Rampal

 

I believe that Mr. Rampal is saying that you need to respect your body more than you love food. That is hard, because food is so good! I don't think that one has to be a glutton to put on a few extra pounds. I eat a fraction of what I used to eat and I exercise every day. But I would not call myself the epitome of fitness. It's hard to respect a body that doesn't respond to the added nutrition and exercise I give it. Maybe I should try harder. But I love to do so many other things. I'm not sure that I deem it worthwhile to devote hours and hours to physical fitness and nutrition when I could be doing other things I also love to do. I know the hard-bodies of the world would disagree with me strongly. But I say life is more than worshiping my physical body. I also have a mind that I love to develop with zeal!

 

"Experience shows that success is due less to ability than to zeal." --Charles Buxton

All I can say is the Kardashians are the epitome of zeal! More power to them!

 

Y Is For Yowzers! #AToZChallenge

 Yowzers! Here, once again, is Alice, from Softball Alice, a great writer and life-saver. Please give her blog a visit! She rocks!

I am taking a writing class and in our textbook, there is a chapter
that mentions that all writers have the right to be off topic.
The topic I chose for today was York, after I had asked my family via
a group text to give me suggestions for words that start with the
letter Y.
See, with my siblings, we chat all the time via text even though we
are miles away from one another. One of my favorite traditions that we
have via text is that I will start a conversation about the day of the
week and then follow it with a word that starts with the same letter
as that particular day of the week.
So like today it would go: "Hey, it's Wednesday."
"Wicked"
"Worried"
"Winner"
"What?"
In order to get over my creative block, I opened this game up to them
today by saying:  "Give me good words that begin with Y.  I've got a
blog post to write."
These are the responses I got from my creative family:  Yugoslavia,
Yearning, Yikes, Yippee, Yesterday, Yonder, Yack, Yodel, Yonkers,
Yammer, Yoda, and Yolks.
So.  Yugoslavia, a country I probably will never visit.  Yearning,
something I do for a second child.  Yikes, what I say when my students
are weird or inappropriate.  Yippee, what I say when the day of work
is over and what I say real loud when the last bell rings before
summer break.  Yesterday, is in the past; leave it there.  Yonder,
what people in the old days said about stuff a ways away.  Yack, what
I do when I think about onions.  Yodel, Jewel Kilcher does it well and
I suggest you check it out.  Yammer, like a hammer but different.
Yoda, character cool he is.  Yolks, the wonderful gooey part of the
egg and I like mine sunny-side up!
Well, there you have it.  Random can be very fun, don't you think?

W Is For Words #AToZChallenge

Once again, Alice from Softball Alice  has stopped by to help me out because A GAL NEEDS...friends who write! Stop by her blog and give her some love!
Words have power. If they didn't, the works of Shakespeare, Hemingway
and Dickinson would mean nothing.

But really, words are power and the written word makes our words
timeless. By writing, we are able to communicate our inner-most
feelings and also leave a piece of us on this planet forever.

That is the biggest reason I write, so that my words and a little
piece of me can stay here forever because I will not stay forever.

What we say can also have lots of power. I don't know how many times
what somebody said about me cut me to the core.  Just a tiny hint of
negativity can make me double guess myself and be filled with doubt.
So many people are broken these days because of what has been
said to them, whether it be about their physical body or about their
personal characteristics.  Sometimes it is easy to point out the fault
in others and forget that we also have faults.

If only we were brave enough to always lift others through our words.
The thing with power is that we have the choice to either impact our
world through positivity or through negativity.

Because of this power, both with written and spoken language, be
careful.  You never know what impact you can have on this world.

V Is For Violin #AToZChallenge

I used to play the violin. It has been years since I've practiced or even played. The callouses that build up on the tips of a violinists fingers have long been gone and it is actually painful to play for any length of time. I wish I had kept up with it. Maybe I could have learned how to dub step and made a career out of it.
(My wishful thinking at play here) Lindsey Stirling is my violin idol. She uses her violin as a cool prop and she dances to her pre-recorded violin music! It's awesome! But you can always google her. Right now, it's all about me and my violin! I'm playing my version of the theme from Ken Burns' Civil War Series aired on PBS some years back. Pardon the mistakes. I didn't have time to do many run throughs at all, so this is truly me, pulling it out after years of non-playing! View at your own risk!
Regardless of whether or not I am good, or whether I have or haven't played in awhile, the fact is that my life has been enriched because of music. I have been cheered up when I was sad, enlivened when I was out of energy, calmed when I was a nervous wreck and inspired when I needed solace. The fact is that music can and does change a person. I feel that listening to good music can influence us for the good!