ALL ABOUT MY FIRST BIKINI PREP

National Physique committee

The first thing I want to say is I am not a pro or never couched others on a bikini show this is just my honest experience with my first show, what I learned and what I did, what worked and what did not ! So This topic is impossible to get down all in one blog post so for now I’m gonna tell you my experience about my first time competing in an NPC show. In 2017 I decided to do a bikini competition in arizona where I live, I was so inspired and motivated by fitness already and wanted to take it to the next level. I have done TONS of research and figuring out cost, where shows are, when I wanted to start, diet, exercises, the list goes on for first time competitors. I had no idea what I was getting myself in I just knew I wanted to try it no matter what. Overall competing is expensive ! I’m not even over exaggerating. To be honest I was not ready emotionally, physically, or financially. When I read about competitors saying to be emotionally ready, I thought they were overreacting but seriously there right, and I wish I took that more seriously. For some reason though, it was all worth it on show day and I loved every second of it. Till this day I think about trying it out again and I feel that I’m more stable to do so. I know at moment what I don’t have is TIME. Down below I’m gonna break apart what competing is. To find shows in your area click here

RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD: Strict meal plan was CRUSIAL, I weighed out everything , also my carbs, fats and protein were always changing depending on weight, gym days and rest days. Once you find your macros go on from there and see how your body responds.

TIME MANAGEMENT:

Member when I said a full time, I was not kidding.

This is how my days looked !

5 am fasted cardio

8 am to 5:30 work

6 pm back at gym lift

8 pm have meals ready for next day

REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT

I had tough times not going to lie, but I also had to remember that I choose to do this, no ones making me and although it can be stressful this should make me happy and not depressed or else I probably should find something else to do.

SELF LOVE:

Respect your body and love it from the start to end. When I started my competition I looked at other girls competition body's and wanted me to look like them, that was the wrong thing to do. After doing the competition I needed to love my body and want to transform my body into the best it could me for my self not anyone else. I wish I noticed that more in the beginning I feel It would have been way more healthy for me!

HARD WORK/ DEDICATION:

Down to the meals to training to the tough times, this sport is not easy! I had to stay strong at all times, having full time job, working out and meal prepping and fitting in time for loved ones sometimes it can be stressful. Every day counts up until show day in this sport pretty much is what I’m saying. I recommend letting your finds and family know about what your plans are, that you will not be eating there food or might not show up to events/ parties while your on prep lol ! they should understand, just let them know how much it means to you. I still had fun on my prep, went to events but I brought my own food and snacks, no matter how crazy I looked.

TRAINING: I personally did not have 100’s of dollars a month to pay for a coach, this is where it gets quite expensive! I got lucky and found a online training guide from a past competitor who I trusted and really liked. She offered a program that was very affordable . Honestly for me I did like her program but I would like some more communication with my coach and weekly check in’s. Pretty much I just followed week by week what she had on her guide for the 16 weeks of prep until show day. In person is still way better in my opinion for me. My comp was 16 weeks away and that's all the time I had to get to my goal weight by comp day! My training was crazy, they were hard and I was always challenging my body, having your body being comfortable with your trainings will not give you fast results is what I learned. I lost about 40- 50 pounds, defiantly my nutrition was a big part of it as well.

TIPS:

• Use yourself for motivation instead of pictures you see of other girls.
• Weekly pictures and weigh ins
• Experiment with your foods
• Pose practice everyday
• Have fun with it !
• Find a good trainer or coach specificity that have experience with shows
• Don’t do it if your expecting sponsors to notice you
• Don’t expect to win, if you do great but getting up on that stage and showing off what you worked is already a win!
• Don’t start a prep if your already struggling to pay with bills, I DID THIS AND I MADE IT WORKED BUT WAS NOT WORTH THE TEARS AND STRESS!
• Listen to other competitors advise  
• Don’t copy other peoples macros, everyone's body's respond differently.
• WATER, WATER, WATER, AND WATER!

Till this day I know if I were to compete again I would have a better experience, body wise, money,
confidence and since I know what I'm doing 2nd time around I have an idea of what needs to be done or achieve. If you have done a competition I'm sure a couple of things will stand out to you. If this is something you are thinking of trying or are doing now share with me your experience!

Breast pump bag for working moms

This is for my hard working mom's out there or on the go mom's too, I have put together a bag full of my top necessities. After coming back to work from maternity leave I feel these things are the best to have with you. Also I want to put out there to research your rights for pumping at work, us moms should know them just in case we run into a issue. Not only do you have rights at work you have rights in public as well.  I will leave links below to your rights.I'm gonna list everything I use on a daily basis, and why I must have these things with me at all times.
Breastfeeding policy:http://www.usbreastfeeding.org/

http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/breastfeeding-state-laws.aspx

* See if your insurance covers your pump for free! I got to pick my pump out from a couple brands and got the medela pump. If not then there's a link below to purchase or see reviews. My pump is Super easy to use, light weight, and like the style of it.

Medela pump:

https://www.google.com/search?q=medel+pump&ie=&oe=

* I luckily work close to home, If you work far pumping on the way to work can save so much time, all you would need is a car adaptor to plug in from your pump to the car and a hands free pump bra.

Medela car adaptor:

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjRm8manK7cAhWUwmQKHT_3Dm8YABAAGgJwag&sig=AOD64_2di7ocS3i6wlv24bdaBQxwCl3YSw&q=&ved=0ahUKEwiu0MSanK7cAhWKjVQKHaLjC60Q0QwIjQE&adurl=


Hands free pump bra:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C25TVVB/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1RG1RN8GNWR2O&psc=1


 Main items in my bag:


* Extra water
*pump with the tools
*medium bag with my wallet, Chapstick, makeup, phone charger, headphones
*phone
*pump milk bags  about 5-10 bags
*snacks( nuts or peanut butter no bake balls I make, fruit)
*Powerade or electrolyte liquid drops
* water wipes or pump wipes
*blanket or nursing cover
*bottle with lid just in case
* portable battery pack for phone in case I don't have a plug for charger


Pump routine: 
 My routine for pumping at work is every 2-4 hours depending how bad my boobs hurt lol. Lately I have been needing to pump every 2 hours or else I will be so engorged! Right as soon as I get to work I set up my pumping tools in my room that my work had let me utilize as a pumping room. I make sure everything is in hands reach so I don't have to get up multiple times. About an hour or 2 into working I pump for 20 mins, then again 20 mins 2-4 hours later, If I'm not too busy I'll pump a 3rd time before my shift ends.



What bag I use : 



*I bought this bag a while back at TJ max for about $40, I used what I already had in my closet this works perfectly for now. I didn't feel that I needed to purchase a pump bag.

What I leave at my job:

*Extra water
* Blanket
* snacks
* natural wipes
* extra milk bags

Extra items :

* Gatorade, Powerade, liquid mio
* insolated bag to storage milk to keep cold
* water jug
* laptop
*planner & notebook

TIPS: Stay hydrated, helps with milk supply

* After pumping I storage my pump parts in a zip lock bag and place them in the fridge, washing them every time I pump is not realistic for me.


I believe these things help me get throughout the day, I haven't needed anything else so far! Let me know what you use at work while pumping just in case I forgot anything.

Day in a life with a newborn during maternity leave

One thing I learned by having my first born is no day is the same lol. Know matter how much you try the timing will be off or something will come up. Although I do have things I try to keep the same throughout the day. I have days where I feel extra energized and wake up around 6 Am, then I have days where I wake up at 9 Am, All kind of depends on how my baby sleeps. I have gotten myself on a pretty good productive morning schedule though, and I will share how I became a morning person. Ever since I was little I was never a morning person I'm the snooze 5 times type of girl lol Not a good habit at all especially as a new mother. Now I love my morning routine with my newborn and I love being a busy mom. Either if this is your first baby or 2nd,4th,6th anyone could use these tips to start a schedule. One thing about me is if I don’t got some type of schedule or routine daily I can’t function and get in a pissy mood, for some reason I need structure in my life. I have a full time job, have a 7 week old newborn, engaged to my wonderful fiancé and care about fitness and healthy habits. Here’s how I’m fitting all of the things that mean most to me and not losing my mind!

TIP: We went to a museum in this photo, getting out of the house once in awhile helped me not loose my mind lol Also it was free this day! Check out any local museum and see what days they have for free or at a low price!

TIP:  Have a planner on hand, even if your not a organized person. It's truly helpful and might even take off some stress so your not constantly forgetting what you need to get done or go. You already have so much to do with a baby, having a list or planner will make your life easier!

MORNING

6 AM - 7 AM  I Pump right away for 15 mins, while I brew my coffee. I love to drink my coffee in peace and early! While I’m doing that I either turn on some cable, Netflix or bring out my laptop and work on my blog.

8 AM - 9 AM My daughter usually wakes up, I breastfeed, change her, and lay her in her swing for awhile while I clean up the apartment a little. I’ll go ahead and plan out my day and do some planning in my planner.

10 AM - 11 AM Emerald my daughter does tummy time for about 15 to 20 mins I will read or just talk to her for awhile till she gets fussy then I start making breakfast. Usually a smoothie, or oats, eggs nothing too crazy. Emerald usually takes a nap around this time.

DAY

12 PM - 1 PM not all days but most I try to do a light makeup look, hair and get dressed in comfy clothing for the day this usually just gets me from being lazy, by now emerald is usually hungry so I breastfeed her.

2 PM - 3 PM I pump again 20 mins, I am returning to work in a couple of weeks so I’m pumping 3-4 times a day to stock up,then I make lunch.

4 PM- 5 PM I'm lucky to live so close by my parents in law and my mom so we get ready for the gym and drop emerald off for an hour or 2 while we workout, she will most likely take a nap.

5 PM- 6 PM We come back home, I make dinner and relax a while with emerald, breastfeed again. We play with her and take her a bath if she needs it. Breastfeeding makes me so hungry ALL THE TIME so I make myself a healthy snack, lately I‘ve been prepping protein balls filled with healthy fats, protein, and carbs, there to DIE for! I’ll share my recipe soon!

NIGHT

7 PM- 8 PM I take a shower, pump again, pick up the apartment so it's not messy in the morning, I like to work on my blog or do editing before bed as well.

9 PM - 10 PM It’s emeralds bedtime, its not around this time every night but I’m attempting to start getting her on a schedule. Emerald eats, then gets swaddled with the love to dream swaddle, my absolute favorite and play the sound of rain with a sleep sound app, she ends up knocking out fast this way. This gives me and my fiancé some alone time for ourselves we watch tv shows, movies, and lay down before we go to sleep.

Love to dream swaddle link-

https://www.amazon.com/s/?keywords=love%20dream%20swaddle

I also attached a photo of emerald in her love to dream swaddle below!

11 PM - 11:30 PM ish I’m going to bed late most of the nights, eventually I will change that when I go back to work! At this time I brush my teeth, do a hair or face mask before bed and go on Pinterest because It's so addicting! TIP: No matter what before bed time I swaddle her with this love to dream swaddle, feed her, read, sing, hum, or play sleep sounds this triggers her so that she knows it's bed time. That's how I got my 7 week old baby a schedule quick!

My newborn usually wakes up around 4 or 5 am to eat, then she goes to bed right away. Every newborn is different. This is what I found that works for us during the time I have had off work. Also I’m lucky to have my fiancé there to help when I need it. For the first 3 weeks after she was born I was alone while he was working, so I understand how hard it can be to get things done and get back on track. I return to work very soon so that’s why I have only done a maternity leave day in a life but eventually once I find a routine that works with her dad and my schedule I will post that on my blog as well. I’m still getting in the habit of things and figuring out what works for me and my family, It takes time so try different things. You got to start somewhere so that's what I did. Now it's your turn! I would love to hear what you guys do with your baby's, toddlers, twins know matter what your scenario is!

TIP: A lot of days are hard and it's not easy, I often need to take a brake and step away. If it's just stepping outside for a couple of minutes, shower, gym, see a friend. Know matter what it is, it's okay to step away! I'm very lucky to have family to watch her when I need that live near by. If you don't have family or friends near you and you need a break step away pull your self together and come back to your baby! You will feel soooo much better.