I met a figure competitor at a workshop that I attended this past weekend. I already know a girl in my pole dancing class that does fitness competitions. She referred to that as “adult cheerleeding” which to me means skinny blondes doing silly dance routines AKA so not my thing. The figure competitor explained to me the differences in the types of competitions (figure vs fitness vs bodybuilding). Figure girls have lots of muscles but not scary man kind of muscles. Figure girls look more like Oxygen magazine cover ladies. That is the look I am shooting for one fine day. They are proportionate and defined without being over the top. They don’t do dance routines – they pose and turn all while wearing stripper heels LOL.
Anyway, we chatted some more about what goes on in the competitions and what it takes to get to that level. I was thinking I would have to lose a ton of weight (like shooting for 105 instead of 130) but it turns out that isn’t the case. She pointed out that I do have some good muscle tone already and that made me think “Hey, I could do this thing!”. Now, I would definitely have to do a lot of work as far as building more muscle and losing more fat. However, a figure competition could be within my reach with the right diet and training plan.
I work best with a goal in mind and this could be just the goal for me. If I take a year to prepare for competition and stay focused, I think I could get up on stage in a tiny bikini and not make a total fool of myself. But…I want to have babies! I will be 32 soon and I am getting married in June. I am already committed to (and excited about) training for my first full marathon in November. After that, I was planning to be about the business of getting pregnant.
Who knows what will happen after that? Will I gain 50 pounds and lose all the motivation to workout that I have now? Will I have crazy stretch marks or scars that make wearing a bikini impossible? Will having a family take up so much time that I won’t have the time to put in the gym hours and eat clean enough?
I know that having a family does not necessarily spell the end of my fitness dreams, but I am scared. Is it selfish to (sort of) want to hold off on having a family to pursue a dream like this?
