…..and it’s on.

Prep for the 2015 Olympia began last Monday for me. Wow, reading that still blows my mind. 20 weeks out from the biggest show in my sport. What a privilege this is for me, truly an honor.

In my younger years, I would dread the sacrifices I had to make getting ready for shows….food mainly, but also having no social life, very limited free time, the exhaustion, etc. My view of contest prep has drastically changed though…and for that I’m very grateful. I see it as a privilege that I’m able to do this, especially for the Olympia. I’m actually excited for this journey, really excited. The monotony of the food, the hours of training, the questioning at times, the cardio, the physical exhaustion….all of it – BRING IT ON! I’m more than ready, in body and in mind.

I’ve had a lot of people ask me if prep will be different this time around. Nope, don’t think so. I take it just as seriously as I do my very first show and just as much as the last show I did. It likely won’t be any harder, maybe mentally but I’m fairly sure the excitement of it will help. Challenging, yes but that’s partially why I do it. I’m trying to keep things in perspective with this. I saw another IFBB Pro a few weekends ago. Her advice was to treat it no differently as if I were doing a regional show. It’s a show. Sure, it’s a huge show but in the end it is still a show. It doesn’t define me and there is life after wards.

My goals this time around are pretty simple. I learned a lot last year, about my body (yay for aging!) and my mental strength. I’m a whole lot stronger than I give myself credit for. I’m now 100% confident in this. I also respond a lot better to less training, just smarter training.

I want to enjoy as much of this as I can. Soak it all in, good and bad. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. I know not every moment will be sunshine and lollypops and I’m ok with that. I can handle that and grow from it. I might fall on my face at times. But, I also know that I’m a rising phoenix and will stand again. I want to not only go through this as a physical transformation (we tend to get VERY absorbed in the way our exterior looks) but I also want to grow internally, to not “diminish my inner shine” as a good friend said to me today.

In 2007 when I was getting ready for my first Pro shows, a friend gave me a an “O” pendant as a symbol to stay focused on my goals….lol, wow did I learn a lot that year and the years to follow. I’m a firm believer in timing and the universe delivering what you’re ready for at that time. There is no way at ALL I could have been in the right physical or mental state back then to carry on competing. NONE. I needed a long, firm break to figure out a lot of things and mostly, to get my physical and mental health back in check. I never thought I’d be getting on that Olympia stage, let alone any stage ever again.

Here I am, 8 years later, living out my dream. It’s crazy. Be patient, when you’re ready it will happen for you, too.

Welcome to my journey to the O 🙂
It all comes down to YOU. Take ownership of what you’re doing or not doing.

Your life. Your results. 1 degree of separation.

~Jamie
Email: talk2us@212fitness.ca