You are here: Home / Archives for Posing

Studying the Competition

June 4, 2011 by 10 Comments

I am learning a new skill in life; studying.

My usual MO is to just  do something and hope it pans out. In high school the only reason I even completed the daily math assignments was because they were 40% of your mark. Even still, I did them the night before the unit exam when they were due and wrote the tests in a severely sleep deprived and caffeinated state without studying at all.

Is there any wonder I got a C- in Pre-Calculus?

Apparently there is value in studying. Apparently it helps prepare you. Apparently it is not a waste of time.

Point conceded!

I spent the morning at prejudging for the Northern Alberta Bodybuilding and Figure Championships studying the competition.

Heck, I even took notes.

Donloree studying

There is no messing around! I was prepared.

I have an audacious goal of taking first in my class next time I compete; hence the studying.

Here’s what I learned from this morning’s study session.

  1. Learn how to get into poses QUICK. The longer you’re in a pose with perfect form the better. Some of the competitors barely got into their pose before the next one was called.
  2. Smile the whole time; don’t grimace. There is a marked difference between having a relaxed smile and baring your teeth. Smiling needs to start before you walk on stage and can only stop once you’ve stepped off stage. The women that constantly smiled in a relaxed manner stood out from the others.
  3. Walk without flailing your arms for balance. I want to be noticed for my fantabulous lat spread that I am growing or my calves and hammies; not my clomping and flopping.
  4. Always be prepared. Things happen on stage that you would prefer don’t happen. My suit may come unglued, but that doesn’t mean I have to. I am going to learn how to not break my smile no matter what. Winners don’t let a darn thing faze them on stage; even a suit coming completely undone.
  5. Bedazzle your personality. Having a gorgeous, bedazzled suit makes you noticed but having a bedazzled personality and eyes that flash your inner beauty keeps the attention.

Looks like I have a lot of work to do.

I’m dusting off the hooker heels, practicing posing every single day, and smiling no matter what life hands me.

There is no ‘off’ season; just different seasons.

It’s on!

Filed Under: Blog, Operation Pro · Tagged With: , , , ,

Possibly The Most Random Day EVER…

October 14, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Today was totally weird.  I spent the day doing things for my *gulp* first Figure Competition.

The day started as it usually did at 5 am with me lurching across my bedroom to find the alarm so that I could make the incessant noise stop.

Then I made coffee.  I clearly have my priorities straight.

After that, the day went completely weird and wonky.

At the gym I found the Edmonton Journal article about me and my journey to this competition tacked up on the bulletin board in the women’s locker room. It is freakish to see yourself staring back at you with only one cup of black coffee in your system.

After that experience, I needed more coffee. I picked up a fabulous cup at Credo Coffee and felt more prepared for the day.

Turns out I should have gotten two cups.

Next up was the polygraph test.  Upon arriving at the office where the test was to take place, I immediately started to sweat. And not just a little bit; buckets of sweat.  The purpose of the polygraph is to ensure that I haven’t taken any of the banned substances for the all natural show. A very tall man strapped me to a chair facing a completely blank wall.  He put little clips on my fingers and a blood pressure gauge on my arm. The veins on my arm immediately started to pop out and my hand turned a lovely shade of purple.

Then the questions started.

Polygraph Man - Is your name Donloree?

DL – Yes. (sweating profusely)

PM – Do you know what the banned substances are?

DL – Yes.

PM – Do you intend to lie in response to any of these questions?

DL - NO! (a rush of adrenaline coursed through my body which may have resulted in me failing this question)

PM – Have you taken of *insert huge list of drugs* in the past 7 years?

DL - No. Definitely not.

The questions went on. There were only 10 of them, but it felt like an eternity while staring at the cream wall that definitely needed a new coat of paint.

Then we went through it all over again.  I had to do the test twice.  Apparently it ensures that the testing is accurate. When I was unstrapped from the chair I jumped up and asked, ‘Did I pass?”.  His response? “Well, if someone calls you up and tells you not to come on Saturday, I guess you’ll know you didn’t pass.” This did not make me feel better. It made me feel like kicking the very tall man that straps bodybuilding women to chairs in the knee, but I refrained.

Now I find myself cooking supper in my five inch clear heels and bedazzled bikini.  While I scramble my egg whites, I am practicing the side pose and trying to flare my lats as much as I can. It is really hard to smile while posing, so I have implemented a new rule.  If you have the clear shoes on, you’re smiling.  So I am also grinning like a weirdo while I do this.

Last minute prep is turning out to be rather bizarre.

Next I attempt gluing the tiny, bedazzled suit to myself…I may need to be supervised for this task…

Filed Under: Blog · Tagged With: , , , ,

The Last Freak Out…Or So I Am Hoping…

October 13, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Today was a whirlwind of activities, working out, posing practice, and last minute contest prep details. I was feeling ok about things until I realized that I am leaving for Calgary in two days to get my first coat of spray tan applied. I also realized that this is the last Tuesday before the event.

There are no more Tuesdays before I get on stage in my bedazzled suit!  What have I gotten myself into?!

It was at this realization that I panicked. I broke out into a bit of a cold sweat and started to blink a lot, and I mean A LOT.  There is so much to do and not enough time!  My brain went into overdrive and like a Catholic nun going over her rosary beads, I started to go over all the things I still need to do.

I caught sight of myself in the mirror…I did not look good.

 

The look of pure terror and panic.

 

I do not want to look like this on Saturday, so I got down to business and decided to organize myself.

 

Let the list making begin!

 

Coffee, sharpies, paper, and all my notes were piled on the dining room table and many lists were created.

 

All organized! Feels good to get it out of my head an onto some paper!

 

There’s a lot to do…and I don’t want to lose sight of any of it, so it only made sense to make it huge and post everything in my dining room.  This doesn’t seem over the top at all…right?

There are some weird things on the lists…

 

So there is nothing listed for the 'Day of Stuff' yet, perhaps I should put that task on the 'To Do' list?

 

My favorite things on the lists are:

  • Make checklists (my OCD is really starting to show, isn’t it?)
  • Saran wrap for my suit
  • Exfoliate so that I don’t look like an Oompah Loompah
  • Bring ‘cute’ outfits (apparently I am worried that I will bring ugly clothes along…)

Once I finished the lists and stuck them on the wall with copious amount of painters tape I felt better.  WAY better. No need to freak out…I’ve got this! Right?

One thing I did forget to put on one of the to do lists was drink water.

 

A gallon and a half a day seems do-able until day 3 rolls around.

 

Too bad I’m not thirsty. At least it’s not the 4.5 gallons of water I thought I was supposed to drink!

So I’m done freaking out. I have checked that off my list of ‘To Do’s’.  Now onto having fun doing the craziest thing I have done yet in life…and I’ve done a few crazy things!

October 16th is going to be interesting and random, that’s for sure!

Filed Under: Blog · Tagged With: , , ,

All Night Cram Session?

October 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment

When I was in high school I avoided my Algebra homework like the plague.  I wouldn’t do any of the assignments until they were due, which was the day of the unit test.  The night before almost every single test you could find me up until 3 or 4 am trying to graph numbers and letters and find what the true meaning of ‘X’ really is.

I put it off because I hated it and I knew I could get by with the help of a few all night cram sessions.

I graduated with a C- average in math.

Suddenly my competition is around the corner, in 5 sleeps to be exact, and I think an all night Algebra-esque event may be called for…

I have tons of things organized and ready to go:

Ummm….I am missing a check….

Half the battle is won by posing.  You could have the best physique on stage, but if you don’t know how to make it obvious to the judges all the hard work is not going to pay off.  I have definitely been practicing, but I just can’t seem to get the hang of it.  Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I grew up reading books.  Flaring your lats and flexing all your muscles at once doesn’t come naturally to a girl who spent all her recesses in the library to avoid having to play soccer and kickball.

Starting tomorrow it is posing practice all of the time…or as much time as I can get in without scaring other people.  If you see me in the grocery store line up buying egg whites and vegetables with my butt stuck out, lats flared, and a grimace on my face that is supposed to pass as a smile, don’t be afraid – just give me some feedback!

Its game time and I am NOT going to settle for a C- for my first show.

Filed Under: Blog · Tagged With: , ,

Real Woman, Real Nemesis

October 1, 2010 by 16 Comments

Real women don’t always have it easy.  Life just isn’t like the movies, no matter how much you wish it was.  I don’t wake up air brushed with someone on hand to do my make-up and hair, nor does everything always work out in the end.

I have a nemesis that will not leave me alone.  It is the dreaded Muffin Top.  I have worked hard for 10 months, lost around 35 pounds of fat, and yet my muffin top lingers.  It mocks me and will not cease and desist.

First of all, the posing needs work. Secondly, there is only so much sucking in that can be done. There is no six pack to be found!

This may have something to do with the fact that I used to weigh over 210 pounds when I was at my heaviest.  My skin just doesn’t have the same elasticity as women who have always been thin.

If I twist just so and don't breath at all, it looks somewhat ok. Once again, the posing needs help!

But I do have something going for me, my back.  I should enter a back contest….I may just win.

At least the hard work shows up somewhere!

And my arms aren’t so bad either.

I eat my spinach!

Well, I am not going to let my nemesis stop me from competing.  It is just going to go on a road trip to Calgary with me on October 16th.  Although, if it wants to stay in Edmonton, I will gladly leave it behind!

I have two weeks left, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens!

Filed Under: Blog · Tagged With: , , ,

Fake Tan Here I Come!

September 28, 2010 by 6 Comments

I am VERY white.  I used to try to get a tan in the summertime, but ended up looking like a tomato.  And just so you know, having still evident tan lines from your tank top burn showing at your office Christmas party is less than desirable.

To avoid this embarrassment, I embraced my Snow White-ness and wear sunscreen and stay quite pale all year long.

On October 16 I need a tan to show off my muscles while I pose with the other Figure Competitors. Bronze, toasty brown, and cafe mocha are words that describe the color I need to be; currently I could be described as ecru, mother of pearl, or fresh linen.

Once again, I am about to do something I never thought I would ever do in my life; get a fake tan, and an epic one at that. Apparently you, ‘can’t be too dark‘ and ‘when you think you’re dark enough, apply another coat‘.

Oh boy.

I can go with Pro Tan which requires a few days of application, a foam paint roller, and a very good friend to help you apply it. If I go this route, I will be tan for weeks following the competition and then appear as though I have leprosy as it wears off.  BUT it won’t run if I am sweating on stage and I already start to sweat bullets just thinking about the competition.

Jan Tana is another option, which can be done on the day of the competition.  Apparently there is a 3 step process that ends with a glaze for your whole body. I associate glaze with donuts.  I am not sure if I want to put myelf in the same category as donuts…

Or I could merely oil myself and then apply a few coats of Dream Tan.  This seems the most straight forward, but it seems almost too simple.  I am wary of simple solutions to things.  In my experience if it seems too good to be true, it is!

So what’s a woman to do?

HELP!

Filed Under: Blog · Tagged With: , ,

Blinding Clarity

August 30, 2010 by Leave a Comment

I just spent the whole day with INBF Canada at their contest prep course.  It was so empowering to have my bazillion questions answered and solidify a plan for the next 7 weeks.

While training for a competition, I have learned a ton about myself.  What makes me tick, how to motivate myself, and what the power of my mind can accomplish when it is truly focused.

Focus.

I am finally starting to understand what focus can accomplish.  Absolutely amazing things! And not just in the realm of fitness.

My main problem in the past has been choosing what to focus on.  There are so many good and exciting things that can distract you from your life goals.  No matter how hard I try, I can’t be a bodybuilder, knitting guru, potter, fabulous life coach, loving wife, gourmet chef, good friend to everyone, author, speaker, clothing designer, and home renovator all at the same time.

So I am choosing to be a loving wife, fabulous life coach, and a great bodybuilder.

In order to be a great bodybuilder, I fully embraced learning all the poses and volunteered to try all the poses in front of everyone even though I was scared out of my mind.  While desperately trying to look composed and relaxed while flexing every muscle in my body and wearing a pair of borrowed 5-inch Lucite heels, I had a flash of blinding clarity.

I am going to be wearing a bikini on a stage in 7 weeks.

The ramifications of what I have been training for since November clinched in my mind today.  Instead of choosing fear and uncertainty, I am choosing self-assurance and a spitfire attitude.  I can and will do this, and do it as fabulously as I am able.

What are you working towards and bringing your focus to for superb results?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Filed Under: Blog · Tagged With: , , , ,