When the struggle gets real...
When the struggle gets real…Dealing with the psychological warfare of prep.
Going through 12-15 weeks of competition prep is not only hard physically with the cardio and workouts, but it gets hard mentally. The diet can make you moody, thinking of being on the stage may give you anxiety, following other competitors may make you feel intimidated, and so on. But I know that us as competitors don’t want to give a bad name to the sport by letting our moods get the best of us. So… how do you deal?
Hangry Moods –A good friend of mine once told me that when she would see junk food instead of saying “I CAN’T eat that” she would change it to “I DON’T eat that”. By changing your way of thinking and holding yourself to a higher standard like that, you can stop resenting those around you eating the bad food.
Anxiety – They say practice makes perfect, and that’s true!! Practice in the mirror until you get your routine perfect. Then stop practicing in the mirror because you won’t have one in front of you on stage! Then practice in front of family or friends, then maybe even a few strangers around the gym. Get used to eyes being on you before they’re all on you on stage.
Meditation helps with this too. Find some form of meditation that helps you, whether it’s positive affirmations on YouTube, prayer, yoga, etc. Find something that helps you stay calm mentally.
Comparisons – Yes, this is a comparison game… But save the comparing for the stage! Don’t compare yourself to other’s Instagram’s or social media. It’s all only showing their BEST angles. Nobody’s going to post their flaws on social media. If you do watch them on social media, use it as motivation, not to make yourself feel worse.
And always remember, according to Muscle & Fitness, you are doing something that only 1% of the population can do!! So that’s already a victory for you.
Author Lizzie Martinez is the Owner of Sun City Athletic Club in El Paso, Texas. She is an IFTA Certified Personal Trainer, Owner of Fitness Apparel Line www.ActiveAndAttractive.Rocks , is a 5x 1st place champion in NPC Bikini competitions and an IFBB Professional Bikini Competitor.
Click to learn more about Lizzie.
Anxiety – They say practice makes perfect, and that’s true!! Practice in the mirror until you get your routine perfect. Then stop practicing in the mirror because you won’t have one in front of you on stage! Then practice in front of family or friends, then maybe even a few strangers around the gym. Get used to eyes being on you before they’re all on you on stage.
Meditation helps with this too. Find some form of meditation that helps you, whether it’s positive affirmations on YouTube, prayer, yoga, etc. Find something that helps you stay calm mentally.
Comparisons – Yes, this is a comparison game… But save the comparing for the stage! Don’t compare yourself to other’s Instagram’s or social media. It’s all only showing their BEST angles. Nobody’s going to post their flaws on social media. If you do watch them on social media, use it as motivation, not to make yourself feel worse.
And always remember, according to Muscle & Fitness, you are doing something that only 1% of the population can do!! So that’s already a victory for you.
Author Lizzie Martinez is the Owner of Sun City Athletic Club in El Paso, Texas. She is an IFTA Certified Personal Trainer, Owner of Fitness Apparel Line www.ActiveAndAttractive.Rocks , is a 5x 1st place champion in NPC Bikini competitions and an IFBB Professional Bikini Competitor.
Click to learn more about Lizzie.