What Is a Fitness Model?

I love receiving questions from people wanting to enter fitness modeling or general interests in the sport itself.  While I am no longer considered a novice in the sport, I am certainly not a veteran or a pro.  But I cannot help but feel a sense of pride when I am asked questions about fitness modeling and hear myself speaking in a way that suggests I’ve been in the sport for years.  I can only speak on what I’ve researched (and I did a lot of research before getting into this) and what I’ve experienced.

So, for inquiring minds, fitness modeling is modeling one’s physical form or physique.  Think of body building competitions or Arnold Schwarzenegger.  When you enter fitness modeling competitions you are competing with others in your desired division.  These divisions include bikini, figure, physique (men and women), fitness, and body building (men and women).  Each division has a different body type requirement:

·         Bikini (female) – usually seen as lean, visible muscle definition but not more muscular than other female fitness division.  Bikini fitness models are classified as exotic, curvaceous, sexy and flirty. 

·         Figure (female) – well defined and visible muscle definition.  While female figure competitors are not as overly flirty on stage during their posing, they are still considered appealing to the eye due to size, shape and sculpting of their muscular form.

·         Physique (male and female) – muscle shape, size and proportion are determining factors within this division, for both men and women.  Muscle size is a size down from body building.

·         Fitness (female) – this is a size down from figure competitors.  They are leaner in size but still have relative muscle definition that determines their overall ranking. 

·         Body Building (male and female) – muscle size, shape and proportion is the largest of all categories. 

Depending on your size, ability to gain muscle mass and compete determines what division you should be competing in.  I chose bikini because of my body type, ectomorph.  I decided, for myself, this division was more along my speed and one I could keep up with in training, rather than trying to gain massive amounts of muscle mass to compete as a figure or physique competitor.  This worked out for me.  This is not to say everyone is cut out to be a bikini model.  Some may chose figure or women’s body building.  It is the same for the men’s divisions. 

The decision should ultimately be yours, one that you will have no regrets and feel happy throughout the entire training and competing process.  After one of my competitions, I saw a fellow bikini competitor crying when we got off stage.  I spoke to her coach to find out what was wrong with her.  The young lady felt as if she did not do as well as she had hoped and wanted to quit.  After learning she was unhappy with her body development and how the process was not as enjoyable as she thought it would be, I asked her if she thought bikini was the division she wanted to compete in.  She thought about it and said no.  We sat and watched most of the show until it was time to get back on stage and she said became mesmerized by the figure competitors.  I told her she may want to consider it but to make sure the decision and experience was one she would be content with.  She agreed to take some time to think about it but would do another show in the figure division. 

Your body takes time to develop and mature.  The same can be said about your mental state around body building/fitness modeling competitions.  Competing is not for everyone.  I can honestly say I never thought I would like fitness modeling but have grown to enjoy it more than I ever thought I could.  One word to best describe fitness competitions: exhilarating.  You meet like-minded individuals that have prepped just as hard if not harder than you for their 15 minutes (if that) on stage to pose and smile.  Some of the things to take into account when prepping for a competition is:

·         Tanning (2 coats and a touch-up)

·         Hair and makeup (women)

·         Jewelry (women)

·         Suits

·         Diet prep (6-8 weeks)

·         Posing

·         Training

It can be thrilling but also overwhelming, and it takes a person that is willing to jump through all the hoops to give their body the shine they’ve worked hard to prep for.  Ask yourself, can I do this and is it worth it?  What am I getting into this for?  The decision is yours.

Cucumber Benefits

I never liked cucumbers.  I never knew any of the healthy, nutritious facts tied to cucumbers, nor did I care, at the time.  Whenever someone said cucumbers I automatically thought pickles (pickles are preserved cucumbers in vinegar).  The only thing I liked about cucumbers were the body washes and lotions that combined cucumber and melon.  During my health journey, I discovered some amazing health facts about cucumbers.  Not many people know the benefits of cucumbers and the nutrients they are packed with.  They are more than just slices women put over their eyes to reduce puffiness during girl’s night (I watch too much television).  They serve as a health benefit associated to your overall well-being. 

Here are the facts:

·         They act as a diuretic, flushing out fat cells and increasing energy levels

·         The nutrients in cucumbers include vitamin A, B1, C, D & K, calcium, fiber, iron, folate, magnesium and potassium

·         Promotes joint health and relieves arthritis

·         Regulates blood pressure, fights cancer and reduces cholesterol

·         Can be used as a facial wash or detox cleanse

·         Cures hangovers (I do not promote drinking, however, for some this is relatively important fact)

Now that you are up to speed with the health benefits of cucumbers, I suggest incorporating them in your diet.  Adding a few slices in your water is not only healthy but refreshing.  Think about it, you are essentially drinking your nutrients and benefitting from the fiber content.  And of course simply eating cucumbers is a plus as well.  My relationship with cucumbers has improved, overall.  When I hear cucumbers I cannot help but include the health facts I’ve learned.  I’m not one of those annoying health nuts that feels the need to jump into every food discussion and add her two cent information, but I do like to educate people on what I know from my unbiased perspective.  Add a punch to your health and wellness and give cucumbers a shot, who knew about all the benefits!

Bored Eaters

I'm bored. I have nothing to do and nowhere to go. All my friends are busy and I am, essentially, stuck at home, alone. What to do?  Plop on the couch, watch trash T.V. or a good movie and eat, eat, eat.  Pizza sounds good, salty, buttery popcorn is always good, cookies are a great sugary treat, and how about washing it down with a thick milk shake or a soda.  Funny thing is, I’m not really all that hungry…
Sounds typical, right?  Nothing else to do except sit around and eat.  You’re not hungry, you’re just vegetating (no pun intended).  When you're bored you instinctively become what's called a "bored-eater". You fall into this rut where you have nothing to do and you're at home with an abundance of unhealthy foods and snacks.  They’re accessible and available for massive consumption because, let’s face it, you made it that way by purchasing them.  So what are the reasons behind bored eating?  I am naturally inquisitive (notice how I said inquisitive and not nosy), so I asked a few people and came up with a few good reasons:

1.      Nothing to do – this is clearly obvious.  If you have nothing to do and nowhere to go, of course you are going to eat.  We sit at home in front of the television or behind a computer and automatically feel as if we have to snack.  Solution: get up and do something active.  Exercising at the gym or the park is a great way to stay healthy and in shape. 

2.      Everyone else is doing it – sigh; “when in Rome do as the Romans”.  I used to think it was ok to drink beer when I was in social circles because I wanted to “break the ice”, so to speak, and seem relatively interesting instead of the bored one of the group.  Solution: do not give into the temptation of eating unhealthy just to fit in.  If you are bored and you resort to bad eating habits in social circles just to relate, you may want to look at those circles a little closer.

3.      Depression – I hate to hear people say they eat because they are depressed.  You are in an unhappy state of mind, you are trying to deal with your emotions and in the process, searching for something to soothe or comfort you.  What’s more comforting than chips, cookies, or pizza, things that taste good and will seemingly recharge your neurons?  It is easy to turn to junk food when you’re in an emotional state because it won’t turn on you.  Or will it?  When you fall into bad food patterns it seems harder to get out of them.  Solution: observe the pattern you are creating when in an emotional state of mind and turning to food to cope.  The overeating inevitably leads to weight gain and, undeniably, holding onto that emotion.  It is better to deal with the emotion than to associate it with bad eating choices.

4.      It’s time to eat – I find it funny when people throw time under the bus.  “Time isn’t on my side”; “time is moving too fast”; “I never have enough time”; “the time is now”; “it’s time to eat”.  Time is innocent.  We use time as an excuse for so many things and do not realize if we use it correctly, it can benefit us.  Solution: listen to your body and ask yourself “is it really time to eat or am I just eating because I have nothing else to do right now?”.  There’s nothing wrong with eating at specific times. Body builders and athletes have to do this all the time for muscle growth and retention.  But eating on a schedule and eating at a specific time just because there’s nothing else to do at that time are completely different. 

There are more reasons why people are classified as bored eaters.  I found these to be the most interesting.  There should be no reason a person should eat unhealthy due to boredom.  There are many methods of removing yourself from that bored state of mind, it is a matter of finding what works for you.

What Does Your Body Type Say About You?

Ever wonder how someone can lose or gain weight faster than you?  Or how a person can gain muscle and look shredded by practically looking at a set of dumbbells, while it takes you much longer to gain even a “bump” in your biceps?  I get questions all the time from people wondering how I stay so lean.  I used to remark it had a lot to do with my genes.  However, I realized it was mostly due to my body type that it was harder for me to gain size, muscle and ultimately remain so thin.  Knowing and understanding your body type helps you become more aware of your body and the nutritional needs and workouts to remain healthy and reach your fitness goals.

Let’s breakdown the 3 different body types:

·         Mesomorph – One word description: muscular.  Mesomorphs can gain muscle relatively easily than any other body type.  They are considered the most energetic, athletic looking body type of the other two, being physically capable to perform several activities.  Their thick, muscular bones are credited to their rectangular shape.  Mesomorphs have well-defined chests, shoulders, buttocks, thighs and calves.  They sound like Greek Gods, don’t they?  Well, there’s always a flaw somewhere.  Mesomorphs aren’t the most flexible, and even though fat is distributed evenly throughout their bodies, if they are not active or involved in some form of physical activity to maintain their muscle size and shape, they can become overweight.  As a result, it is imperative that mesomorphs are conscious of their diet, consuming low-fats and low-calories.

·         Ectomorph – Better known as the slim Jim’s of the body types, are lean.  Ectomorphs have a high metabolism and cannot gain weight easily.  They are usually tall and slender (some may even say lanky with long arms and legs), with a delicate build, narrow hips and pelvis.  Ectomorphs do not receive as much love as the other body types because of their build and ability to burn calories when they sleep.  As much as people think ectomorphs have an edge in the competition, gaining muscle mass or size is very difficult.  Specialized workouts and a high-calorie diet is essential for ectomorphs muscle and weight gain. 

·         Endomorph – Soft and curvy, endomorphs tend to be very shapely.  Endomorphs have the most body fat and prone to excessive weight gain than the other two body types.  Weight is distributed to middle and lower half of their bodies.  Endomorphs are typically shorter and stockier, slow metabolism, and not-so well defined muscles.  To lose weight, endomorphs are encouraged to include cardio and weight-lifting within their fitness routine, as well as a low fat, low calorie diet. 

So, based on that information, if someone were to look at me they would see that I am an ectomorph, as clear as the blue sky.  I am sneered and jeered quite often because of my ability to eat relatively anything I want and not gain weight as quickly as others do.  I had to understand why this was so and how to educate others on what they needed to do to reach their fitness goals.  I never knew about body types, but when it was brought to my attention everything finally made sense.  I could look at someone and have them describe to me their eating habits, their workout regimen, and their weight and determine what their body type was and what was needed to reach their goals from a nutrition and fitness standpoint.  It’s all about educating yourself and educating others that helps you understand your health journey and working with others to create their own.  Know your body type, listen and observe what your body is saying to you.  You have to live with it every day.  You might as well understand it, learn from it, and pass your discoveries on to other people.

Corporate Woman by Day, Fitness Freak by Night

I live your average, everyday corporate lifestyle between the hours of 8:30 am and 5:00 pm.  During competition prep season, I like to prep my meals for the week on Sunday evening.  I grab my containers, which contains my lunch, snacks, protein shake, another meal, and an extra meal just in case I do not make it home for dinner, and off to work I go.  I usually take up the most room in the refrigerator at work, and I’m ok with that.  I would try to remain inconspicuous and act as if I’m not the owners of all the food containers but, ideally, my initials are conveniently marked on the corners of each container.  My brilliant idea, so no one would suddenly feel the urge to “eat healthy” and snag my food.  Nonetheless, I’m eyeballed each time I step into the kitchen.  No one can understand how someone of my stature, 5’8, 130 lbs, could put away all that food in 8 hours.  “Oh, what ya got there?” “Moving in, are we?”  I avoid the glaring eyes and cute comments and proceed to the refrigerator to stock my food.  I have found that if I tuck my food away in the food crisper drawers, no one notices.  When it’s time to eat, my reminder goes off, and off to the kitchen or my desk drawer I go.  Whenever I’m meeting in someone’s office, my mental clock goes off and I have to ask the time.  If it is feeding time, I politely but hungrily say, “It’s time to feed the beast.  Excuse me.”  And I leave. 

I had a hard time coming to grips with the fact I had to eat every 3 hours, and be ok with it.  I did not eat that much regularly so I wasn’t sure how I would be able to do this during work hours.  I am fairly busy at work and I have been known to skip a meal or two, but I did not think my healthy lifestyle and my work lifestyle could co-exist.  I tried to eat healthy at work, substituting cookies and chips for fruit and veggies, and I thought that was enough.  I was so very wrong.  If I did not eat on a schedule, every 3 hours, it showed in the gym and posing practice, and I could not let that show on stage.  Not to mention the fact I was a bit self-conscious about bringing in so much food and hogging space in the fridge, and also smelling up our kitchen with my fish (I do not microwave my fish), eggs, or vinegar salad dressing.  That changed.  A colleague came to visit our office from another office one day and she confessed to me, after we both shunned the cupcakes and cookies my job had on display in our break room, that she too was a fitness competitor and showed me that she had packed a whole day’s worth of food in her cooler.  I couldn’t believe it.  Not only did she look amazing but she didn’t let her busy schedule or comments from anyone stop her from bringing in her competition prep meals.  I said right then and there I would not be ashamed of bringing in a cooler and truck loads of food into work.  I wouldn’t care how it looked, how awful it smelled, I was going to bring in my food and eat on a schedule. 

After 5:00 pm, it’s beast mode in the gym time.  The makeup, corporate-pleasant attitude and corporate casual attire are stripped.  My hair gets pulled in a pony-tail, covered up by a hat, tights or shorts on, sneakers, and a grizzly bear is before you ready to do some damage.  If I really wanted to be dramatic, I would put some of that black paint under my eyes, but that’s a little extra.  If I’m on schedule, I have my snack or protein shake while I’m there.  If I did not eat, I’m something of a handful with my trainer, or anyone for that matter.  If some of my work associates or even some clients saw me in the gym, they probably would not recognize me or would be very shocked to see hidden under all of the corporate clothes, this “skinny chick” has muscles.  I am extremely focused when working out.  There are times when I “zone out”.  I’m talking no one else is in the room, it’s just me and the weights.  My trainer isn’t even there, just a voice in the distance. 

When I’m focused and on a schedule, I feel much more content.  For those who think you cannot balance work life with a healthy lifestyle, I’m here to tell you that is false.  You can, if you really want to. It takes finding what works for you and setting a strict schedule for yourself, and ultimately sticking to it.  I had a hard time managing stress at work because there were times it would spill over to my workouts.  I found when I eat, take my breaks when I’m supposed to, decompress when I have to, do not skip meals, and work hard in the gym, I’m able to handle things much better.  Try it out and you’ll definitely see it works.

The Bodybuilding Introvert

Many people do not believe me when I tell them this, but I am an introvert.  For the majority of my life, I’ve been fairly shy and quiet, very private and to myself.  I’m still that way to this day, in some regard.  A lot depends on the company around me.  Now, what does this have to do with fitness modeling?  Everything.  Because I am an introvert, it is out of the ordinary that I would choose to associate myself with a sport where I have to expose most of my body and open up to people and swap “prep” stories.  I don’t mind talking and networking with people at all, in fact, I enjoy it.  Sometimes.  I’m not nervous talking to another bikini or figure competitor in the pump up room when we’re getting ready to show our stuff on stage.  I just get to a point where, internally, I ask “what do I have to say remotely interesting to this person that they would want to engage in conversation with me?”  And then I shut down.  But I have to think about who I’m around.  These are men/women that have gone through the same prep that I’ve gone through to get where they are now, in the same place I am.  There is no reason for me not to open up.  Their story may help me, and vice versa. 

The exposing my body portion of it all is somewhat different.  I stopped being shy about my body a long time ago.  I figured because I was working out consistently this would be the perfect way to showcase my rock hard body, dazzling smile and the sparkle in my eye for the lights.  But a small part of me wanted to hold back.  I did not know how I would be perceived.  But I suddenly realized I did not care what anyone thought of me because it was my body.  If I kept up with this introverted “behavior” then I would miss out on a lot of things in life.  So, to the stage I go!

As I’ve stated in earlier posts, fitness modeling is completely out of the box for me.  It is something that I, surprisingly, took naturally too and enjoyed.  While there are those stressful, panic stricken moments of discouragement, fear and lingering thoughts, I have to give myself credit for sticking it out as long as I have and making it work to my advantage.  I do not regard my personality trait as being a character flaw.  I think of it as being that one trait that sets me apart from everyone else.  One may question, what in the world would an introvert be doing body building/fitness modeling competitions for?  Just debunking the myth that you have to be defined and confined to the demarcation of said trait, one competition at a time.

If You're Confident & You Know It, Pose & Smile!

It takes a lot of courage to stand in front of family, friends, fans, and complete strangers, and show off your body that is covered with very little material; very little left to the imagination.  So, going into a competition takes a person with a lot of self-assurance in themselves to make even an effort in entering in this arena.  Not only do you have to be physically strong but you have to be mentally strong as well, as cliché as that sounds. 

My nerves begin jumping a week before a competition, and they do not stop until I approach the stage, smile and pose.   I’ll admit, my very first competition, I was a deer caught in headlights.  Literally, I couldn’t get adjusted to the lights blazing on the center stage and I ended up staring at them the entire show!  I didn’t think I would do so well in that show, my confidence level was at a solid 2.5.  I wasn’t secure mentally or physically.  My pose was a little awkward and my smile was not as shiny and bright as it should have been.  I had several factors working against me.  Ambivalence started to weigh on me, questioning my reason as to why I was subjecting myself to such physical and mental stress.  Naturally, when your confidence feels shattered or at least shaken, you tend to give up.  Not me.  I told myself, for the next show, I would have everything in place, confidence being at the very top of the list.

And I did.  My second show I was more together.  My pose was so spot on my back and legs started hurting, which I didn’t realize until the very end of the show.  My smile was so big my cheeks hurt.  I was told if I was having all of these ailments, I was doing it right.  Confidence level was a whopping 10.  I knew what I had to do to get where I wanted and what I wanted.  My resolve could not be broken at that point.  All I could do was be confident, pose and smile.  And it earned me a 2nd place trophy and qualifier for NPC National shows. 

It hurts, physically and mentally, but that confidence knowing you’ve done everything you are supposed to do to get where you are is the greatest reward.  I say, no matter what it is you’re subjecting yourself to, whether it be a competition, a test in some form, or just challenging yourself to be a better person, you have to have an unwavering, impenetrable confidence that you can look back and say this is what I did to get where I am and nothing can stop me.  Then, just pose and smile, because you’ve got it like that!