My WBFF Experience

Yay, I have started a blog!

Back in May, I entered my first fitness competition,. so I will talk about that while it is still a little fresh in my memory. What drove me to get up on stage in a teeny tiny sparkly bikini in front of a ton of people? One of my trainers told me that I had the body to compete. I said to myself, "Eh. I'll give it a try. The worst thing that can happen is that I hate competing." So I found myself a coach, Krissy Adams of Fit Starts Here, and after 9 months of hard work, I found myself on stage.

I competed in the WBFF show in Halifax as a diva bikini model. I didn't place, but I had a lot of fun doing the show. I've had a lot of time to reflect on the show and here are the high points and the lows.

The Highs:

Surprising my coach and myself with how my body looked. I'm vegan (I don't consume or use animal products at all). People tend to stereotype vegans as weak and sickly. I have been told that vegans can't put on muscle like meat-eaters can. That's false. Just look at the Plant Built vegan team who compete in Naturally Fit Games in Austin, Texas ever year. Despite the fact that I don't eat animal products, I put on a crazy ton of muscle which I think shocked Krissy and others who were following my journey. I was eating more food and doing less cardio than most of the competitors going the traditional route of bulking/cutting and eating massive amounts of white meat. I hate cardio and I love food so being vegan really worked in my favour there.

- I felt one-of-a-kind. I was the only woman on stage with a cross-over style suit and straight hair. Bringing something unique to the stage made me feel even more confident.

Not bad for a vegan!
Photo by Ray of Light Photography

- I had fun backstage and on stage. It was an amazing experience. I love being a part of the Fit Starts Here Divas team. Everyone was super upbeat and supportive backstage. I couldn't have asked for a better team to train with and compete with. During judging, I guess I wasn't smiling as much as I thought while I was out on stage. My teammates were yelling at me to smile more and ditch the skank face. It really helped. I kept that in mind for the night show and I felt like I did a lot better.

- I got to eat an entire avocado the night before the competition. I realize that this seems like a silly reason to be happy but avocados are awesome and I will take any excuse to indulge in them.

- I met a woman that I went to elementary school with as a kid. I had no idea she was a bodybuilder until I ran across her name on the NSABBA website. I was super impressed... and then a little intimidated... and a little nervous to talk to her. She's awesome though and ended up taking home her pro card that show. I was very proud.

OMFG CHEESECAKE.

- The WBFF has a dress round, so I got to zip around the city and try on pretty dresses. I felt like I was getting ready for prom again.

- The post-show celebratory vegan blackforest cheesecake from Sweet Hereafter. I didn't get to have cake for my birthday because it was right before a photoshoot. I ate this baby lying in bed in my underwear the next morning.

The Lows:

- Tofu farts. Need I say more?

- I left my wallet at the tailor the night before the atheletes meeting. Cue me panicking and eating a small package of Snap Pea Crisps to calm me down.

"Krissy... am I too dark?!"

- Spray tans are awful. I am really self-conscious about my chest and I had to stand naked in front of a stranger while she sprayed cold, smelly liquid on me. To make matters worse, she made me come back after the athletes meeting for another few coats because I am so pale. The room was packed full of girls waiting for tans and the communication with the person doing the tanning wasn't the best. I wounded up standing around in the bathroom, naked, with no guidance as to how long I should stay there. There was also controversy as to whether we should shower it off the next morning. I found myself sending frantic texts to Krissy because I was afraid I was too dark.

- I was disappointed that I didn't place. I wasn't expecting to be disappointed. I let my nerves get to me during judging and it showed. I feel like I did a lot better at the night show. I left the competition wishing I could go back on stage the next day. Instead, I have to wait 7 months.

- My hair and make-up appointments were at 4:00 and 4:45am. I set my alarm for 3:30am, put my contacts in and stumbled down the hall of the hotel for my appointment. I remember looking in the mirror and thinking my stage make-up made me look like a man. I stumbled back to my hotel room and managed to fall asleep sitting up so that I wouldn't mess up my hair and make-up. According to my roommate Nichola, I tossed, turned and twitched, which was pretty embarrassing, but the rest really helped.

- In order to prevent the tan from coming off, female competitors are encouraged to pee into paper cups that have the bottom cut out. This prevents "splashing" which might wash your tan off in embarrassing places. Luckily, I pre-cut some cups for those urgent moments but be paranoid to pee and having to position your cup is not fun.

After all of that, will I compete again?

Yes.

I am currently training for the East Coast Classic in November. Wish me luck!