The end of a Journey.................

WOW, what a crazy 2 weeks it has been. A whirlwind of travel, training, airports, hotels, food and most importantly time spent primping and beautifying. In the last 11 days I have flown all the way to east coast not only once but TWICE! I was thinking that I may have overcome my fear of flying but as I type this the plane is bouncing all over the place and I have had to stop typing to literally hold down my laptop. So maybe some of those butterflies are still there!

So since I have flown back and forth twice now I have had the joy or at least I know I will, as I can feel it coming on, of experiencing cankless! HA. Some of you say WHAT? Yup, that’s right cankles. If you have ever competed before you know this feeling. Post-competition water retention. Your ankles begin to swell and you can’t seem to tell the difference between where your calf ends and your ankle starts! I am beginning to feel my skin tighten and my feet feel heavy, yikes!!!! Flight attendant more water please. I find it’s been even worse with all this flying.

Speaking of competing.............................wow! I brought my best physique to the stage. I wanted to be leaner and tighter than any other show and this is exactly what happened. Hany kicked my butt this season and variety of cardio from track work to intervals and stairclimber plus a combination of training my hams and glutes at least twice a week to really be ready. I placed 2^nd in my class which is 4 spots up from last year. It looks like I may have been a tad bit too lean in the legs so I will have to tone it down a bit for next year but at least I have a guideline to work from. After talking with Hany he thought heading to Cleveland for the North American Championships was a good idea as there are 3 shows a year in which a Canadian can qualify for their pro card at, this being one of them. Unfortunately I had to fly back home from Toronto on Sunday and fly back out Thursday to Cleveland. This probably wasn’t a great idea as my body was trying to recover from the show, training, dieting and of course the water retention. By Thursday I was able to get my body back to normal to pull it in for the show.

After a LONG day of travel Thursday I was totally exhausted...........the Chicago is an insane airport and I had 1.5 hour delay there..............I ended up traveling for nearly 14 hours by the time I got to the hotel!!!! Nevertheless, I felt good and ready after resting most of the day Friday. However, my fate turned out to fall into 13^th place. Much too my disappointment I certainly did not expect this. However, I felt that perhaps I was a bit too lean coming into this show. Have been given the feedback from Canadians to tone down my legs a bit then I should have been a bit softer for this show. Looking back at some of the pictures I can see that maybe my Ronnie Coleman vein was a bit to prominent for the judges liking! Nevertheless, I am proud of the package I brought to both of these shows. Tighter and leaner than I have ever been before! I had an amazing time met some great people and of course enjoyed some yummy food!

Here is a pic back stage of the girls I roomed with, the stunning Lil K and gorgeous Getto M! MUAH! Thanks ladies for all your support!!

So where do I go from here you ask? Good question! There is always much on my plate, remember I have A type personality! So its onward and upward to the next challenge. My future is full of many more exciting things not necessarily competing the next few months, time to switch things up! Oh, no I am NOT quitting competing by any means, just time for a break, time to focus on other responsibilities like work, family and few little projects I like to follow through on....................stay tuned!

Thank-you for riding along on my journey this year competing and the obstacles, challenges, highs and lows I have had. I appreciate all your support, encouragement and emails. Keep them coming as you are what keeps me motivated to be an inspiration! I am inspired to inspire!

Stay strong & Train Hard!

Michelle

Success does NOT come without Sacrifice!

Success does not come without sacrifice. The early nights, the skipped events and the countless hours away from family and friends.

Success does not define who we are but it is the journey itself that defines us.

Success is not about the extrinsic motivators like awards, prizes or money but about achieving our dreams, reaching and pushing ourselves to a higher potential.

Success is about determination, perseverance and self-gratification. Knowing we have no limits or restrictions.

Success is about you!

3 days to go.............................

Well it is almost here! I can't believe it. It's kind of bitter sweet, like I can't wait for it but then in an odd way I don't want to come to an end yet!

These next 3 days are so crucial, it will determine how I look on that stage. Yes, today is my final cardio but there is still tweaking needed with diet and water thereafter. I only get one chance up there and I need to hit my peak perfectly, the total package needs to be ON! It's not over till I stand tall saturday night.

I can not explain to you how different this prep has been for me. It has definitely lead me on roller coaster of emotional and physical pain. I did not exactly welcome these with open arms but I can now look back and realize that each time I experienced these moments I reminded myself about getting back up and keep on going. Remember that life is not about the obstacles we face but about how we persevere through them and create our own path to our goals and our success.

This journey has not been with out much support from AMAZING family and friends! You all know who you are! Having your encouragement has kept me striving to be the best. To be an inspiration and motivator in your goals and your life! To you I owe much gratitude, I would not be here without you!

Well as I begin my final cardio to sweat burn any final flaws that have hung on til now, stubborn guys, I will think back to the beginning and what I have accomplished thus far and focus on what I need to do these next few days to reach my ultimate goal!

Much Love & Appreciation!
Michelle

Eye Of The Tiger!

You know that feeling when it just hits you? You've got it........the eye of the tiger? Driven, determined and patiently awaiting the kill! Yes, I am hungry! Literally and metaphorically, HA! But it's time..............to persevere through these next 2 weeks, pushing harder, digging deeper than I have ever done before.

It amazes me that even though I have been here before it feels different, tougher than the past. Why? Does training and dieting ever get easier? Nope! Not if you want to achieve your greatest potential! You have go beyond your limits, beyond your comfort zone and push past your barriers. When you do this there is a sense of accomplishment and pride in yourself that you can reach your goals and then set new ones. So no matter what we are always pushing faster, harder and becoming stronger.

This quote has stuck in my head this entire contest prep, "Do what you have always done and you will get what you have always gotten". This holds oh so true. If we repeat the same ways or patterns we will never change and go grow. What can you change today to push you in a different direction or down a different path.................seeking your true inner potential!

Remember to stay strong and confident and you can reach those goals that you have set!

Here is a pic from when I went to Cali to train with Hany, with us is also IFBB figure Huong Arcinas, who is currently prepping for the Olympia. Beautiful!
Oh, and no I do not have on my heels, LOL!

Hermit in Hiding!

Sad to say that this has been the case. I don’t want to make excuses about how busy life is as we are faced with the lengthy list of to-dos on a daily basis. Unfortunately my updates have been nil since last October. Man, it’s nearly October already again, has it really been this long since I have shared my lifes' journey with you. There has been much on my plate these past 9 months and believe me I have wanted to sit down and tell you all about it but it seemed something else seemed to jump on my priority list.

So here I sit on a plane ride back from California. Wow, what a whirlwind of 48 hours it has been. This was just a quick trip down to train with my coach “The Pro Creator”! Does this name ring a bell? Think Mr.Olympia behind the scenes. Well, most of you may not know who this guy is unless you are an avid bodybuilder follower and read mags such as MD or Flex. This guy is the top trainer in the world, hey he trainers Jay Cutler and Phil Heath, just to name the top guys of bodybuilding. Hany Rambod is the magic behind these guys. So what does a little ol’amateur like me doing in this neck of the woods you ask? Well learning something new from the best in the biz! Changing things up to bring a different package to the stage than I have in the past. We all need to keep learning and growing and this change in coaches was a step in the right direction. Who else to learn from than the Pro-creator himself. Hope his name holds true in less than 4 weeks!

I must admit I was a bit star struck at first as here he is taking the time to train me, listen to my concerns and guide me through the rest of my journey to the stage. Did I mention thats less than 4 weeks away? Right, I did just seems so close but so far away! As now it is crunch time, time to buckle in an giver! Time to tighten those last few areas, practice and practice again and again my posing and stage presence.

You see no matter how many times we practice we can always give more, do more and strive for excellence. Our own self-determined excellence comes from what we believe is our best and as long as I know that I have given my best and have followed everything I could from my coaches advice than my excellence at this point is achieved. Someone once told me that if we do not achieve the standard we set for ourselves that we will NEVER be able to achieve them. What I don’t understand in this negative thought pattern is how are you suppose to succeed if you do not know how to fail first. We determine success by what we can overcome and achieve and if we first know how to fall and pick ourselves up we can carry on and strive to do or be better. I challange you to think of something that you may have wanted to achieve in the past but have given up because of the fear of failure and think of how you can overcome this obstacle in order to succeed.

We are only limited by what we fear!

Hang on for the ride......................................

Michelle