The bikini competition that got cancelled but I still beat myself

🙈 You are seeing this so that means I actually had the courage to push the share button ….. shit….. gulp!! That’s comparably as wild as me stepping onto a stage in a teeny bikini and heels in front of a crowd and judges ……… 👙📸🏆 Which is originally what I had intended to be doing TODAY. Like many things, Covid changed the plan. Here’s the scoop.

These pictures feel LOUD 🔊 Sometimes I’m loud, and sometimes I’m very quiet, especially when it comes to setting and reaching goals. I’ve been pretty quiet about one in particular. On the sly, I have been working hard on a goal I set about a year ago with the intention of making it a reality today, just weeks to spare before I turn 36. My goal was to compete in bikini division of a bodybuilding competition again. For those who don’t know my past, I competed in several shows a decade ago. I always wanted to get back on that stage and told myself 35 would be the year. That’s when you go from open to “masters” in some federations. Masters is when you get placed into groups based on age. I really wanted my 35 year old self to show my 25 year old self how it’s done!

I was plugging along with prep really well, putting in the work and following the plan. Covid hit but I kept pushing full steam ahead, in some ways making more progress during that time! It wasn’t until the very last days of April I got the news the competition I had selected for July 25th was cancelled. Searching for something else, it quickly became clear all other shows in the northwest were being cancelled as well, leaving no probable plan B in sight. My goal, just like many other people’s goals and plans were changed or put on hold. Now, while competitions were cancelled and there was no stage to step onto to show my 25 year old self that I had what it takes to beat her a decade later. I still had worked really hard, early morning workouts, hours in the gym, tracking my nutrition and macros closely, and even abstaining from alcohol for 6 months! (It was actually way easier than I thought it would be. I’ll be writing more on this in a separate post in the future). I’ve made some pretty big behavioral and physical changes. I have made many sacrifices and feel that my goal of getting into the best shape of my life and beating my 25 year old self was achieved despite not being able to train to completion and showcase that on a stage. Prepping was cut short, with almost 3 more months to go before competition I would have made even more progress. Prepping for stage level physique isn’t something that is sustainable long term and takes a lot of extra detailed hard work. So that’s why I didn’t continue to the final package, although it did cross my mind. Without an event to work towards I decided it would be best to put myself on hold and just maintain where I was at for a while. I was in a really great spot to do that! Although I was bummed not to get to the “final product”, I’m super pumped with the progress I made this year, and if anything I will move forward even stronger and with more desire! This isn’t a goal gone, it’s just been rearranged and the plan to get there has changed. It’s giving me even more time to get to where I want to go.

In fact these crazy past months have probably given me even more than I would have gotten if everything would have ran its course according to planned. It’s given me time to think more about life, to have the desire to share and pursue more fitness aspirations. I have new dreams, new goals and new perspectives that I may not have had or perused before. I’m pumped about what I plan to do moving forward (this is me being quiet about my new goals, but hinting that they are in the works). Stay tuned 😉

It’s not all about how I look. It’s so much more, it’s about how I feel physically and mentally. I’m stronger, healthier, happier, and feel more fulfilled. It’s about drive and determination. It’s about setting goals and achieving them. It’s about having confidence in yourself. Its about respecting promises you make to yourself.

This post is certainly about me. But in all honestly the general message is that it’s absolutely about you too! It’s a reminder that you can do more than you think! Age is just a number. You can set goals and achieve them, you can work hard, you can be proud and confident, and even if life doesn’t work out according to planned you can still flip it, change it, and rearrange it into something that still points you in a positive direction. Don’ let bumps along the road stop you from dreaming.

KEEP DREAMING NEW DREAMS AND FUCKING DOMINATE THEM!!!!

🖤 Shaunna aka Little Ms Fit