Fitness America!!

I am beyond excited to tell you all about Fitness America in Las Vegas last weekend.  I am super happy to report that I placed 12th in the competition!!  I can’t express how nervous I was entering this competition and when I got there, I was even more intimidated.

I decided to return to the competition scene about 5 months ago and didn’t start training until September.  I started learning my routine about 3 weeks out from this competition- super late- and actually made some changes after making huge mistakes in Reno, the weekend before.  I figured even though my routine wasn’t jam packed with everything I’d hoped for, at least I’d have tumbling and strength moves that most of the girls won’t have.  I was wrong.  Every girl there had a tumbling pass, every girl there had a dance background!  I was shocked at how amazing the talent was.  To add to that stress, I ended up going after the 4th place winner from Fitness Universe, who had THE MOST entertaining routine out of all competitors.  I was extremely nervous, but the one thing that I kept telling myself, was to focus on what I put together, what I could do on that stage and to execute and nail the skills that I have been practicing.  I did just that and I was very proud of myself : )  I was flying high and enjoying my time on that stage.

In the physique round, I, as always, was terrified.  I know from past competitions, my physique was always an issue.  Judges often told me I was too small, needed more lean mass and to pack on at least 15 more pounds of muscle.  It was my goal to gain that much, but ended up losing 10lbs since I started training.  It’s always a battle because I teach a lot of cardio classes and can only consume so much.  Even with increasing my caloric intake, I still ended up burning more.  Therefore, I ended up looking tiny on stage, especially next to the other competitors.  Luckily, I had mixed reviews from the judges and ended up with a score that surprised me!  As I continue to move forward with my training for Fitness Universe, my goal is the same and can hopefully pack on 10-15 more lbs of lean mass.

Overall, I had a blast competing.  I had a photoshoot with Dave Alan and I”ll post those as soon as I receive some images.  I looked the best I have looked since 2008 and I’m so motivated to jump up higher in the rankings in Miami.  I was 2 points away from being in the Top 10 who aired on ESPN 3 and I look forward to being a part of that the next time I compete!

I am thankful for everyone who supported me in this… from my trainers Austin and Dusty, my coach Sharon, Sara my choreographer, Nic and Max who came to Vegas to watch, my friends and family who are always supportive and honest with me… and most of all to Joel, who put up with all my ups and downs…he was by my side the whole time and I couldn’t have done it without him!

I learned a lot from this competition and I am inspired to continue on in this journey.  I’ve got that fire in me and I can’t wait to perform again in Miami!!!!!

Check out my scores here:  Fitness-Prelims