Puttin on the Glitz...A fitness Competition Experience
/By Michelle Carlson
If you have ever competed on the fitness stage, then you know that awesome feeling when your Cinderella shoes, flashy jewelry and teeny tiny bikini full of sparkles lands in your lap ...That feeling of "Holy crap, this just got real!". For me, it was a little bit different.
As a younger me, I loved painting my nails and fixing my hair. Being a child of the 80's, I spent my fair share of time bathroom bound trying to match my eye shadow and lip gloss while also trying to achieve maximum height on my bangs. Into my 30's I noticed my focus was more inner me and less lip gloss me (and thank goodness the bangs were gone). Let me introduce the me I deal with on a daily basis: I am 37 and a mother of 2 teens. I run 2 businesses, see clients, develop nutrition and training programs and offer counseling. I workout as a necessity and I am NOT the girl in the gym who always matches and looks cute. Honestly, I find when I don't look too cute people tend to avoid me altogether, which rocks in my book.
This is the same me that decided to pursue my dream of Figure competitions. It's also the same me who loved the workouts, but truly hated every second of posing practice. Over a few months I had to take off the boy shorts and slip into some extremely sparkly big girl panties...and it was a struggle. My first meeting with my suit maker left her feeling a bit, shall we say, unenthusiastic. She came through and made me a minimal suit as I asked, BUT she also added a little extra sparkle at no extra charge! I think she felt a bit sorry for how I had low-maintentanced myself to hardly any maintenance at all.
With some prodding from Coach Val, support from my posing coach closer to home and the constant chats with my suit maker, I became a bit more open to the whole butterfly from caterpillar conundrum I had chosen to place myself. I made myself a playlist and practiced posing every day. I watched some of the bikini girls walk to get a feel for how to carry myself on and off stage. You see, I chose Figure thinking it wouldn't be that big of a deal. I was regrettably wrong, but what I learned from the process is invaluable.
Here are a few tips to bring sexy to the stage...all in the best of taste, and while not losing yourself:
Draw inspiration from others BUT do not compare yourself to others. You are your very own unique brand of beauty. Nobody can dictate your own profound beauty, so embrace it.
Be grateful for what your body is accomplishing each day. Contest prep is HARD people! At times we can feel robotic and run down, but you are doing things only a small percentage of people can do. So celebrate a little.
Practice. Practice. Practice. Yes, you'll feel vain striking poses in the dressing room at the mall, but you are on a mission. The walks, poses, smiles and even the suit will look more naturally you when you spent ample amounts of time practicing.
Get a support system. You need people you can call on when you're just not feeling it. That can come from a great coach (thanks Val!) or a best friend. Don't be shy about asking for a little help.
If you can, book your makeup professionally for the show and consult with the artist beforehand. My makeup artist knew 2 things: I wanted my family to recognize me AND I was really nervous. She did a fabulous job including me in the process and even came backstage for touch ups.
The final thing is this....You have worked harder than most people dare. You have given up a lot to be here. So, glue that suit to your tush, spray down with some cooking spray, give it your biggest smile and remember that YOU are inspiring people as you saunter across that stage. So walk for more than yourself. ME? I walked for my daughter, so she could see what happens when you stay the course with your goals. Hold your head high, dig for the inner confidence, and shine like the rock star you know you are honey.
