So as many of you know, I have competed in dance and figure competitions. I thoroughly enjoy the thrill of the preparation! In Figure we spend about a full year before the show with off and on season training to build our weak spots, doing loads of cardio while dieting to burn body fat and have a mind set that won't quit. In essence, we are warriors...that ship for me has sailed.
Though I truly miss the challenge of that journey I will not miss walking on stage in plastic high heels and tanning beds for weeks leading to the show. With my pasty skin, no amount of Pro-Tan could give me the same color as I needed to step on stage without many trips to the beds! Despite these minor details I do miss the art of competition and the thrill of knowing that I am unstoppable. I mean, being able to wake up daily to know exactly what the focus is and to not lose sight, having full knowledge of each meal prepared for the day without skipping a beat, workouts scheduled first before anything else and the amazing inspiration my journey is to others is an incredible blessing! I have learned a great deal from that and my dancing days, though the spark of competition lies deep in the depths of my soul...
In class last weekend I made a promise to myself to get back into competition but didn't feel that body building was in alignment with my holistic lifestyle anymore so I decided on a new, athletic and performance based challenge: Tough Mudder. As my body is conditioned for body building and not this type of arena I have chosen a Mudder next year in June. This will give me plenty of time to prepare and condition.
In my excitement to find my next challenge, of course, I started prepping immediately!! I searched the website for information on what would be needed to complete the course and what exercises they recommend. Thankfully many of them are ones that I do already on my own or in P90X2 :) Whew! That was a relief. The biggest challenge I face in this process is.......................CARDIO. For those of you who know me or have worked with me in the past, you know I do not do cardio nor do I condone it. My experience with weight loss is that cardio can work against many people and I can get someone to lose weight easily without the standard "hour on the treadmill" so why waste the time? But this course will require me to run through mud and muddy water, climb ropes and over walls, crawl under barbed wire and in tunnels and God knows what else so cardio must become an integral part of my training. Time to suck it up!!
Today was day two of my training regime, I am doing 30 minutes of light cardio five times a week to build up. I know, many of you can probably do an hour and a half without batting and eye, and yes, so can I. The issue here is not about what I can do, it's about working smarter, not harder. If I go balls to the wall now then I run the risk of losing strength, over training and even worse...losing muscle! EEK!! I refuse to let that happen! In working smarter I am doing my usual four days of strength training using dumbbells, resistance bands, P90X2, stability and medicine balls while adding in an extra day or two of a short core workout with TRX and the Bosu Ball. One step at a time.
My mindset has totally gone into warrior mode again and it feels incredible...
If you would like to join me on this journey and be a part of my team in Tough Mudder San Diego June 2013 email me at contact@bodyeverlasting.com
Hmm, no promises just yet, but I am looking at getting in sick shape again. I still have good cardio (resting heart rate in the 50's, with a history of getting into the upper 20's), but I get shin splints easily (mostly from really flat feet), and I need tons of upper body conditioning, especially on my left shoulder that got separated back in my accident 5 years ago.
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