Searching For The Right Competition
It’s super important to know when and what type of competition you want to participate in order to have time to prepare for it. There are different types of competitions such as bikini, figure, and others. It’s important to know which one your body suits best and which one you want to do. There are some differences in the types of things they look for in candidates, the swim suits you wear, the posing you do the day of the show, and how you train. There are many different agencies that sponsor fitness competitions, so doing your research and seeing the different locations will help you prepare for it.
In my case I found one right in the same city I was living, Tallahassee. It was more convenient for me and it was a lot cheaper because I did not have to worry about traveling, getting a hotel, and taking time off work. Signing up for a competition early on time is crucial, make sure to research the type of competition you want to take part off and sign up early in time to prepare.
The Cost
Preparing for a fitness competition can be a lot more expensive than what you have ever imagined. There are many things you need to pay for such as signing up for a competition, there is usually a fee that can range from $50-100 or even more. If you want to participate in different categories each one is also an extra fee. You have to pay a trainer that is going to get you to the best shape of your life. This can range depending on how popular and knowledgeable your trainer is. Mine for example was about $200-250 a month which is a lot cheaper than most trainers. You also have to plan on paying for a competition swim suit and those are very expensive, they can range from $200-600. I had a very good friend from work who had done a competition and she was so kind to let me borrow her bathing suit. You also have to buy heels that are transparent and specific for this occasion. They can also be pricey maybe around $100-200.
Something else that is very important is your tan, this is like the cherry on top to make sure the definition of all your muscles is presentable and can be distinguished the best way possible.They have different packages that range from $100-200 depending if you want multiple sprays and touch ups during the show. You must also consume multivitamins during your prepping season, and buying very strict food. This can be costly especially if you want to eat a variety of foods such as fish, other protein, and different types of vegetables, and healthy snacks. Also spending money on a protein shake is important because you should take one between meals to increase your muscle mass as much as possible. I forgot to mention, I have a friend who does make up professionally and she was the one that did my make up for a very affordable price, everybody in my show loved it. I did my own hair and it came out perfectly fine, so there is no need to go to a beauty salon and spend a ton of money.
Finding The Right Trainer
I wanted to have a trainer who had gone through my experience and could help me in every way possible. My trainer was a young girl, Rashida, who had studied exercise physiology at FSU and had participated in various figure competitions. She was very affordable and provided me with an all-inclusive package that included 5 training sessions a week, diet, and posing practice for the show. She was very flexible and worked with my schedule so I loved training with her.
The tan
If you get this at the show, an expert will offer their service for about $100 before and during the show. Usually it’s a spray Tan and it dries instantly. However, you can choose to do your own tan like I did and have somebody help you the day before the show. It was a product my trainer recommended from amazon called Pro Tan for only $20. I saved money and looked fine, but with all of the stress of the competition, I much rather pay for it and get it done by an expert the day of the show.
The day before the show, I did about 2 layers of the tan and the day of the show I did a third layer. You must to wear gloves when applying it on your skin because it can get your hands orange. You should also use a little sponge to apply it and apply less amounts in your joints. It seems like your joins get darker quicker so applying less there makes it look even. The joint areas can include your elbows, your knees, and your finger joints.
Something I never thought about was the process of taking off my tan. You have to plan on having this tan for about 2 weeks and this is something I did not anticipate. My competition was a Saturday and I was having a medical school interview the Wednesday after my competition. I only came to realize this the day I was putting my tan on LOL. I asked people and my trainer about this and they recommended to use lemon, vinegar, and I did my research online. I scrubbed and scrubbed the next few days hoping it would go away in places that my suit were not going to cover like my chest and my hands. Finally, I was able to get it a bit lighter and I just had to wear a dark foundation in my face to match my darker color (the one I used for my show). I went to my medical school interview just like that.
Your Social Life
Make sure you are mentally prepared to take part of this journey. It required more mental health than what I had imagined, in fact it tested me in all aspects. I almost had no social life because I was working full time, I was applying to medical school (MD and DO), PA schools, and medical schools in the Caribbean. Besides this all I did was working out.
When my friends invited me to go out, it involved eating trash food and going out to clubs and drinking. As you know you have a strict diet you have to follow and this is when you realize how much a social life involves having bad habits like drinking and eating out. That’s when I realized that I wanted to have friends to do other things besides eating out and drinking. I started to plan other events to be around people, such as playing games, visiting places, going out for a workout together, or cooking together.
My social life is important, I like being around people and having many friends. And because my family was all in Colombia, this was challenging and at times I felt lonely and left out. This was a learning process, and I learned to cope with it. Even though when most friends asked me to go out and my answer was no, it was important to have a supportive group of people around me that understood my challenges and why I had to say no. Make sure you have this support system before planning to be part of a competition, whether it’s your significant other, your family, or your friends, or workout buddies to keep you motivated regardless of all the obstacles that you will face, mentally and physically.
Your Health Matters
Let me share something with you that I have not shared with many people. I know I wanted to be part of a natural show and do what I can do get to my best shape possible. I did not want to take any fat burners, magic pills, or even considered taking any steroids. My health matters, and if I want to have the best figure, I believe hard work and diet can help me achieve that, I didn’t look for perfection. I followed a strict diet that was given to me by my trainer. To be honest, I was not the most compliant person ever. I did not count my calories or macros although this would have been super beneficial. I simply wanted to follow a balanced diet, work out hard, and enjoy the experience without being super hard on myself. I took it as a learning experience and I am glad, because many people get so caught up on themselves and this lifestyle that they become depressed, anorexic, obsessed, and unhealthy.
My experience
During the time of the competition, I was working as a full time GYN nurse. I worked 8-5 pm every day and trained from 6-7 pm. I was not very organized making sure my meals were at the right times and this was all my fault and due to the job I had. I would leave work around 5:30 PM most times and rushed to the gym without eating any carbs or protein. My stomach was empty and my glucose and energy storage was mostly depleted. I continued to do this and didn’t pay attention to it, I kept ignoring the fact that I was supposed to eat before exercising so rigorous. One day I went to the rest room in my job and realized my Urine was tea color. It was dark so I decided to do a urinalysis really quick and it came positive for protein and blood. I had no symptoms of anything. So I though could this be a urine infection? Could I have kidney stones? What can this be?
I talked to some of the doctors I worked with and they suggested I visited a urologist, but my health insurance was not active until 2 months later. Long story short, I continued to have this type of urine and it was scary at times, but they reassured me it could not be something so urgent. I waited until I traveled to Colombia after my competition and visited a urologist and nephrologist. I got tons of exams done, like HIV, lupus, blood tests, and even a CT scan. This began to scare me, but once I mentioned to my Doctor that I had just participated in a fitness competition he ordered a test to show my protein kinase levels. This was elevated and all of my other tests came back negative. My CT scan was also normal and my kidneys and other organs were in perfect condition.
Basically what had happened was actually very interesting and something I had learned in my exercise physiology classes. My body had depleted glucose storages by the time I was working out, because I was not eating anything or giving my body energy (glucose), my body began to break down muscle for energy, and my kidney was working out harder having to filter all of this. Therefore protein and blood were not filtered correctly and they were escaping into my Urine. I was diagnosed with acute glomerulonephritis. This was eye opening for me, because I realized how important having a good nutrition is for your health and how easily you can mess with this.
Day of the show
Finally the day you have been so anxiously waiting for arrives. This day will be long and hectic, but it would be such a fun and rewarding day. From stepping into stage for the first time, to meeting other fitness competitors and likeminded women, to getting my makeup and hair done, and to finally winning not only one trophy but two. Because I was part of 2 different categories, bikini and novice, I had to step on stage twice. I ended up getting second place for novice and third place for the overall bikini category. I will never forget this day because this entire experience taught me so much about myself.
Lessons learned
I learned more about my weaknesses, my strengths, my greatest passions and what drives me every day. It taught me discipline and commitment and most importantly to never give up on your dreams and be the best version of you. I learned to appreciate myself and being okay with having no one but me while I stayed focused and driven to achieve this goal. I had many sacrifices, many tears and lots of sweat, plenty of NOs because I had other priorities, but overall it made me a better person.