vintagebodybuilder

End of 2022, Beginning of 2023

As some of you may know, I took on a different challenge after my bodybuilding competition. I sold my house on the west coast and moved across the country; relocating back to the East Coast, where I grew up. I don’t have any “New Year’s Resolutions” per se, because anything I might pledge seems toContinue reading “End of 2022, Beginning of 2023”

Competition Completion!

I did it! I’m so relieved and also a bit in awe of the whole experience. Cue the Rocky theme song! Let’s break down the statistics: there were nineteen men, ages 22-41, and only four women, of which I was the oldest. I won in my age group, but I feel like I can’t reallyContinue reading “Competition Completion!”

Managing My Mindset

One week left! I have one week until my competition. I’m excited, exhausted, and a bit anxious, but overall, I’m just feeling weary. Lately, I’ve been having these unexpected tearful moments. My sleep is definitely off and I’ve dropped weight (125.4 lbs, I was 128.6 in my last weigh-in). All of that probably contributes toContinue reading “Managing My Mindset”

Visualizing Victory

“Victory requires vulnerability.” I heard this during a sermon I was watching (50/50 by Steven Furtick) and it helped me understand why last Friday night I was seconds away from dropping out of the physique competition. I panicked. The physique category requires a lot more than just flexing. You need a routine with a songContinue reading “Visualizing Victory”

Just a Few Weeks!

Bodybuilding Process Updates: It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. There was quite a bit going on in my life that I had to wrap up, like the school year for both work and my own education. But I wanted to update you and give a big thank you to those who have supported me throughContinue reading “Just a Few Weeks!”

The (Bikini) Bottom Line

A few days ago, as I was talking with my trainer, I was hit with both relief and disappointment. On Instagram, I follow a medical professional and well-known bodybuilder. She has a butt that I desperately want to build. It’s a goal of mine that help keeps me going. She’s been doing this much longerContinue reading “The (Bikini) Bottom Line”

Grief and Growth

Have you ever grieved? If so, you know that grief is relentless, merciless, and grace-less. It hits hard and often there’s no warning. I hadn’t truly experienced grief until about two and a half years ago when I lost a dear friend unexpectedly. What I’ve learned since then is that when I feel grief, IContinue reading “Grief and Growth”

Whipped Cream Dream

Yesterday I accidentally ran 10 miles. Yup, accidentally. Once a week I do one long run, typically it’s about 6-8 miles. That was my plan this week too. Even as my friends and I discussed the route we planned to take, six miles was the goal. The route we were taking was between 10 andContinue reading “Whipped Cream Dream”

Trying to Trust the Process

Metacognition: “Awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes.” Have you ever thought about your thoughts? I’ve been thinking about mine since I was very young. I actually have visual memories from when I was younger, probably about seven-years-old, during an anxious moment looking for a paper for school. This is my earliest memory ofContinue reading “Trying to Trust the Process”

Call me Oscar

I’m definitely the “Oscar the Grouch” of the household. Not because I’m cranky, though. I’ll explain. On Saturday I woke up a bit early, 5:00am and ate my Keto cereal as well as an egg. Then I met up with some friends for a 6.2 mile (10k) run. For those of you who don’t runContinue reading “Call me Oscar”