It is with great excitement and feeling of accomplishment as I write this as I’ve just competed for the first time ever at the ICN All Female Classic this past weekend.
I entered four categories and managed to walk away with four medals – a 2nd, a 3rd and two of 5th places. It was an absolutely amazing day!
A year ago, I would’ve laughed if you told me I would be on stage – and in a bikini! I had a black belt in Karate, and I was a basketball player when I was in university, but that was about it. I was never a gym person; in fact, I could even say I absolutely hated the gym!
But throughout the last year, I’ve seen tremendous change and growth in myself both mentally and physically.
After leaving a controlling relationship, my self-esteem was ruined and I started doubting myself in pretty much every aspect. I always thought that I was never going to be ‘good enough’. I was unhappy for a very long time.
One day, I decided I’d had enough. I needed to make a change for myself. So in June 2017, exactly a year before the 2018 All Female Classic, I joined a local gym. In the beginning, I attended group classes 5 days a week, and after each class, I would walk out of the gym exhausted.
Gradually, I started to see improvements in my strength and fitness level. I was slowly getting my confidence back.
And then, something happened that would change my life forever…
I attended the October 2017 Fitness Expo held at the Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre with my friends.
There was a fitness competition going on at the time, and it was then that I saw fitness models for the very first time. They were all smiling on stage in their sparkly bikinis, with an aura of confidence around their muscular and toned bodies.
A crazy idea immediately flashed through my head, and it was screaming, “I want to compete!”
So I asked my friend if she believed I could step on stage a year from now.
She laughed and said, “Well, you can try. LOL.”
Deep down, I knew I was going to prove her wrong.
I went on with my training at the same local gym, but I didn’t feel like I was making much progress. If I wanted to step on stage in a year, I knew I needed to search for the pros in the industry – people who specialized in competition prep and knew what they were doing.
A little Google research led me to Enterprise Fitness. Although they were quite a distance from where I lived, their results were undeniable. And so on the 28thof February 2018, I signed up with Enterprise Fitness and embarked on my comp prep journey.
I had my eyes set on the ICN All Female Classic, which was on the 10thof June 2018. This didn’t give me much time to prep for my first bikini competition – and there were times where I started doubting myself, wondering if I would ever make it in time.
But my coach, Adrian, has been very patient and supportive throughout my prep. I was completely honest with him whenever I slipped up on my nutrition and training, and he would always remind me about my goal. He made me understand that if I wanted the result, I couldn’t just train hard, I had to eat well and take into account other lifestyle factors too.
Midway through my comp prep journey, I lost my job and had to make some life-changing decisions. I was so stressed, to the point where I struggled to sleep at night, and this in turn affected my progress.
I was getting so frustrated with myself, and told Adrian everything. He was very understanding and would check in with me on a daily basis to see how I was feeling and ask about my biggest worry or stress factor for the day. He did his research and did his best to help me understand my issues and the science behind them.
I learned that the biggest factors that I had to master was my stress, mindset and sleep. If I have them under control, then I’m in the game to win!
Throughout the 15 weeks of prep, I’ve dropped 6kg and 5% body fat!
In the lead up to the stage, I was experiencing last minute jitters and had the old nagging feeling that I wasn’t good enough. But Adrian and Janet told me that I had to believe in myself, smile and just enjoy the ride – it was my time on stage!
They were right! I managed to take a silver medal, a bronze, and two 5thplaces – placing in all 4 divisions that I entered!
I’m glad that I found Enterprise Fitness and trusted the team here to guide me to my first ever bikini competition.
I have decided to keep competing, aiming for the upcoming Victorian Championships in Season B. It’s only 3 months away, and that nagging feeling of ‘will I be good enough is back again’.
However, my journey with Enterprise has taught me that you always become what you believe you are. If you have a strong mindset, and you knoe where you are going and where you want to be, you will always find a way to make it happen. You will be unstoppable!
Now that Enterprise has awaken the fire within me, I can’t wait to see what I can bring to the table in my next competition! Let’s smash this together, Team Enterprise!
Related Posts
- A Sustainable Approach to Comp Prep – with Kelly Naughton
- Bikini And Fitness Competition: Behind The Scenes – with Kimberley Drew
