It has been longer than I remember

Time flies, doesn't it? I thought I was just a month or two behind with my entries... Shame on me AGAIN!!!

Anyways, a lot happened in the meantime, but I will not drop everything here just like. Let's catch up little by little.

So far this year, I have participated in 2 competitions. They were my first under the umbrella of Team Bombshell. And even though the results were not I expected, I am extremely happy and proud of the progress I have made in the past months.

LEFT : October 27th, 2012

RIGHT : April 6th, 2013

Of course that everybody wants to win (or at least, I hope so...), but the final result, the medal, the trophy, is not something we can control. It depends a lot on what the judges want, how other competitors look (odd ones rarely win shows; and if they are not first, last they will be), promoters expectations, etc. 

However, against all odds, you win every single time you go on stage knowing that you did EVERYTHING you had to do in order to place 1st!

Knowing oneself, doing what it takes and being in peace with things you cannot control are the keys to your success. And if others don't see it right away, no sweat... Your time will come!

June, 2013                                 August, 2013

No, I don't write plans

It is interesting how many people have been asking me about help with their diet and/or training. I understand their reasons. I am a regular, full-time, working person who despite the odds, is slowly achieving the figure of my dreams.

The thing is: I do not write plans to anyone. And my reasons are very simple.

The tips I give are based on my own experience and they never go further than "watch you sugar intake", "don't exaggerate with supplements", "watch your form" etc. To go any further than that, I would have to know the details about your goals, habits, general health (chronic diseases, high blood pressure, heart problems etc) and understand your level of commitment. Without one of these items, any further attempt to get you in shape would be irresponsible.

When wanting to transform your body or improve your condition, the most important thing is to look for professional advice. I cannot stress it enough! When you go the gym, there are a lot of people who look fabulous and that have been working out their "whole life". Still, believe me or not, that does not per se suffice to give you qualitative advice. They might even do it out of friendship or to help you out, however, remember that they do not always have all/enough knowledge to provide the guidance that you really need.

It is true that hiring a Personal Trainer is not cheap and that it does not always guarantee that they more than just a certificate. The thing is that each person is unique and it is imperative to your health that you work with someone who sees the big picture (not just your winning about wanting to get big).

Why is their knowledge not free? Because it takes months of studies and years of experience to acquire basic information and a life-long learning process to develop oneself as a Personal Trainer. New techniques and products come out every day. There is always something new that can be incorporated in traditional methods. Real Personal Trainers know they are worth their fee and that is why there is a price for their services.

I am not saying with that you should not listen to anyone anymore. The same way that there Personal Trainers and personal trainers; there are also a lot of people out there with much more knowledge and experience that you may first think. The tip here (yes, I'm giving you one) is becoming a sponge of the game. Use and abuse of sites like http://www.bodybuilding.com, http://www.fitnessrxwomen.com, http://www.muscleandfitnesshers.com and others, to learn about nutrition, training and supplementation. Do not waste your money with the new big thing just because you have heard some big dude/gal has been using it. Understand your body: What is your ultimate goal? What is your body type? What is your lifestyle? What is your diet? How many times a week do you train? And the questionnaire goes on and on...

Remember, you are unique. Your body is unique! What works for a person, might not have the same effect in you. Or even worse! Be realistic about your objectives and work step by step to achieve them. There is no finish line and the only adversary you have in this race is your own limitation. Learn, put your knowledge into practice and shine!!!!

Erase & Rewind

Since my time is limited, I generally plan my weekly blog entries in advance. This way I can do some extra research if necessary etc. The idea for this one was writing about supplementation, but some questions I have been receiving the past days made me change my mind.

Probably it is the time of the year. There is this whole pressure about "resolutions" and it gets to people (see also My 2013 Commitments). Suddenly everyone wants to lose weight, exercise, stop smoking and whatever they can think of. It is EVERYWHERE! Gyms get packed for a couple weeks and that is it. Yeah! After the first obstacle, all the enthusiasm is gone. No one talks about it and they all have excuse (good or not) for why they went back to their old habits.

The point is: you cannot expect that suddenly, like magic, an old habit of yours will vanish and everything is going to be perfect. Forget it!!! It takes time, consistency and hard work no matter what your goal is.

Many times, I have the impression that people are hoping that I can say: "I took this magic pill and all the fat disappeared". If it is your case, I am awfully sorry to disappoint you but reality is way far from that.

And you know why I can be so hard about it? Because I have been there and done that! I may not know the details of your story, but I myself have denied certain facts that cost my progress before.

In my blog Getting Started, I wrote about the steps I consider mandatory if you sincerely want to transform your body. Unless you are sincere with yourself and with your goals, there is no angel on earth that will help you achieve your objectives. At the end of the day, it is YOUR life, YOUR choices, YOUR attitude and YOUR results. Nobody else's...

No athlete is born in one day. It takes YEARS of hard work; of working out even when one does not want to; skipping parties; being laughed at for not drinking or for bringing your own food; missing a TV program because you need extra rest; getting up before sun rise to get cardio done; you name it!

Nathalia Melo: 2009 Ft. Laud Cup NPC - 2012 Olympia

Probably your "reasons" are very good ones and if you believe it, they are. However, one cannot expect to achieve anything with excuses. Stop blaming your partner, your friends, your job, the parties; and face yourself. You do not have to tell it to anyone, but you must be sincere to yourself. Unless you do it, whatever your goal is, achieving it will be a very tough task.

I wish everyone health and success in everything you do!

My 2013 Commitments

Here we are! The new year has started and it is time to get things going. Maybe you found the title of this entry a little odd. Why "commitments" instead of "resolutions"?

Well, words are what we make out of them. I associate "resolution" to a short-time effort that people drop down when facing any adversity. This idea scares me and that is why I prefer the word "commitment".

Happy 2013! This year I will...

For the first time, I wrote down a small list with my plan for 2013. I feel attached to it already and that is why I want to blog about it. Since then, this list grew a bit, but even if I need to update it here and there, these are the my main objectives for the next 12 months (no specific order):

• Get competition ready by the beginning of April: I am looking forward participating in the Limburg Open, so... ;)
• Keep on improving as an athlete: including stage presence, marketing and all other aspects involved in getting myself known in the sport and  in the media. I have big dreams and having a strong brand is a very important part of it;
• Give the first steps towards a pro-card: the amount of shows in which one can get a pro-card is REALLY limited in EU. Adding to that, I haven't seen any Masters competition for Bikini. I'm not backing down though;
• Finish the Personal Trainer course: there is so little information and support for girls who want to get lean and fit here. I love helping and motivating people. It would be great if I could aid them get in shape too;
• Progress professionally: once a workaholic nerd, there is no salvation for you. I will be assuming a new job position soon and I am really excited about its future possibilities;
• Become a more patient, organized and relaxed person (=zen): as a perfectionist and a control freak, I ended up adding extra unnecessary pressure to my shoulders. I seriously need to start working on that;
• Sleep more: even though it may sound the easiest one, I still haven't been able to find the best solution to achieve it. I'm still struggling with the limited opening hours from all gyms here and my working schedule. I will find a way though;
• Embrace a natural lifestyle: my intake is already based on whole foods, and I already exercise regularly, but there is more I can do to achieve the balance I mentioned some points before by taking a next step towards a healthy life style.

These are my short, medium and long plans for 2013. They are very simple, but require consistency and hard work. I am taking one step a time to avoid creating useless chaos and confusion that could hinder my progress. Like a friend of mine always says: "Life is great!". And it really is, but one has to live it day after day in order to be able to appreciate and enjoy it.

2013

So these are my plans? And yours? What are your commitments for this new year? 


I want to hear from you too! Let's support each other along the way and celebrate together our accomplishments!

Looking back

As the year is about to finish, I feel like it is the right time to take a look back at 2012 and review my experiences.

There is one word that is perfect to describe 2012 to me and it is “heavy”. I went through a lot of changes on the professional and personal level and they all cost me tons of energy. Mainly during the first half of the year. It was not easy, but I am glad I survived them all with a much better perspective for 2013. Also because this “heavy” was not always negative, just extremely intense and powerful.

At a certain point, because of all the pressure, countless migraine crisis and many nights awake working, I decided to take my physical training to another level. I simply needed to switch my focus from the office at least for a bit on a regular basis. And for that, I had to find myself a new challenge.

I had already bought the book Body Design from Kris Gethin sometime before, but never put it into practice. The idea of waking up early in the morning just to do cardio was not viable to me. Or better saying, it was not viable until then.

I started following his plan and, to my surprise, my body started to change. Amazing! It was for real and it worked even for me. The migraines dimmed a lot and I was sleeping way much better too. The first signs of change started to appear.

It was then that I began to flirt with the idea of competing. Sincerely, I cannot stress how impressed I was with the direction my figure was taking. I was not becoming a fitness model just like that, but I was getting in shape! Even though I had returned to physical activities in 2010, it was only this year that I did enough to make a long term progress.

After vacation, I started my contest preparation. Things did not go so smooth as planned because of some health issues, but I made it to stage in October. And despite my qualification not being so good (4^th out of 5), I had been beaten by the competition bug and was already hooked.

I had plans of participating in a show again in December, but again my health got in the way and I could not attend. It was not an easy decision, but it was surely the best one. Who knows? Maybe next year I can join the fun of the Flex Cup. ;)

Anyways, in spite of all ups and downs, I have to admit that it was a very positive year to me. It was challenging, but very positive. My whole view about life, myself and others changed. Probably because of the hardships, I became a stronger and more positive person; my objectives are even clearer in front of me; and very important, I know exactly what I want and am willing to do the necessary to achieve them.

Some accomplishments had already come true…

• I am looking forward giving a new direction to my professional career in the beginning of next year. It is something that I have been dreaming about for a while and now it is here. I am counting down the days to start. :P
• Also, I did my very first photo shoot. I was not in the best shape of my life, but I went through the experience. And I loved it so much that I am already putting ideas together for the next one.
• Lastly, I started the training to become a Personal Trainer. Since I arrived in Belgium, I haven’t come across one single PT specialized in body building in general. For the “weak” women, there is only cardio. I want to change it, to help others get in shape in a safe and correct manner. I want to be able to share all that I have been learning with others as a PT.

Don't wait until you've reached your goal to be proud of yourself. Be proud of every step you take toward reaching your goal.

The only item from my personal list that will remain pending for next year is getting a sponsor. It was a “nice to have”, but sincerely, there is no rush. I am improving physically every single day, have previous experience in promotion of products and services and love helping and motivating people be successful too. So, I am sure that it is only a matter of time for the “right one” to cross my career. ;)

Finally, I simply cannot talk about 2012 without mentioning  the fantastic people I have been given the chance to get to know (better) this year because they have been playing a major role in my life. I joined Team Bombshell a couple months ago and they have been way much more than I could ever dare dreaming of… Everyone, coaches and athletes, is amazing and dedicated. Their energy is contagious! Specially Shannon Dey (she oversees us all and sometimes I have the feeling that she can read minds), my coach Vanessa Campbell (what a patience she has!), Jaime Baird (I identify myself a lot with her) and Nathalia Melo (I simply would not be here if it was not for her). I will also always be thankful to Kris Gethin (he showed the Path and is always incredibly supportive to everyone) and Cynthia James (not only she makes the best suits ever, she is such an incredible person!).

I am grateful for the people and lessons of this year. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and I am really thankful for all my experiences.

And your 2012? How was it?

Have a great time and stay strong!