THIS POST IS ABOUT THE BEACHBODY CLASSIC!
Hello from New Orleans! THIS Friday at 6:00pm in New Orleans about 500 men and women will strut their stuff and celebrate the results of their hard work and meal planning over the year in the Annual Beachbody Classic.
What is it?
Guess who is one of those 500? There are only 10 female and 10 male finalists chosen. But each of the 500 participants will do an interview on Thursday and will all walk across the stage before the winners are selected from the finalists on Friday.
The judging is based 60 % on proper body proportion, muscle tone, shape and symmetry, combined with overall body condition. The other 40% is based on successfully conveying your personality to the audience, radiating confidence, poise, proper walking form and turns – as per the Classic Rules and Regulations. I am not alone in entering the competition, I can thank three gems from my Coaching team Paula Burns, Teanna Benson and Kristyn Wells for the “encouragement” to sign up EVEN THOUGH ONLY two of us remain registered in the competition (THANK YOU KRISTYN!).
I’m a little nervous to say the least. I’ve got a lot of excuses as to why I’m not quite at the physical peak I planned to be, or prepared enough for the poses and turns. I don’t plan on winning after seeing a couple here at the hotel gym Tuesday, but instead of beating myself up, or giving up and dropping out because I don’t feel I look like the typical figure competition female, I want to embrace where I’m at. I want to take a deeper look into the BB Classic and what I’ll be celebrating and thinking while strutting my year of work up across the stage!
The Beachbody Classic is about transformation.
The Beachbody fitness programs mean a lot of different things to different people. Maybe it pulled you through a tough time in your life, maybe it connected or re-connected you to a good friend, maybe it helped you train for a marathon, maybe it gave you more energy to play with your kids, maybe it helped you feel fabulous in your wedding dress, or maybe it just helped you get out of a rut in your health or life in general. Knowing that everyone’s fitness journey is different, I know Beachbody is not for everyone – but for those who have jumped in and held on tight – the transformations are incredible.
So what about my transformation? Can I consider myself a transformation? I’ve been stuck in a plateau with my weight for nearly a year. There’s been obstacles, but there will always be obstacles. If I don’t feel physically transformed, why do I keep going? What is it that keeps me in this? If it’s not necessarily my physical shape, I want to figure out a better metric to define success for me in registering for the BB Classic.
So what about my transformation?
Since I started as a challenger in my coach Karen’s 21 Day Fix group in May of 2015 and started my own coaching business I’ve learned so much. My mindset towards fitness, health, and life in general has changed. My fear of carbs and sugar has vanished! I’m working out because I enjoy it now, and not just to make room for ice cream. I signed up 2 years ago wishing I could lose 10 lbs before a trip to Mexico for goodness sakes! And here I am 2 years later feeling the most physically and mentally fit ever have been, 20 lbs down. There’s a joy in the journey, a beauty in the battle, and I’d like to give a big ‘ol fist pump from where I am at right now! I’m proud of all that has been learned, the others I have helped, and the healthy foundation being built to sustain that health for a lifetime. Maybe the fist pump is coming from me from halfway up that staircase, or maybe I’m only a few stairs in, but I’ll tell you the journey of 1000 miles begun with a single step – to lose those 10 lbs before Mexico.
If you finally find success, chances are – you have worked really hard to get there. Chances are the feeling of remaining the same was more painful than the pain it was to change. For me the pain worth suffering has been the pain of waking up early, eating a vegetable, the pain of grocery shopping and meal planning, the pain of finding new recipes, the pain of washing stinky tupperware containers, the pain of saying no to pizza and yes to the lunch you packed, the pain of throwing away 12 muffins when that recipe flopped – because coconut flour just isn’t the same as the real thing. This is the pain I have come to love and hate – but the pain that feels so much better than losing my new found control, energy, and physical fitness.
The Beachbody Classic is full of challengers who have been through something different. Some will have lost over 100 lbs! Some used fitness to get through a divorce, or a family tragedy. Some will have no kids or 6 kids and chose to make the time to focus on their OWN health so they can give their best to others. Each of us is going through a transformation not only on the outside, but also on the inside. For me being in the Classic is about being proud of ourselves, proud of our bodies and embracing the journey it is taking us on.
OK, enough excuses. Get to the point!
So how does that apply to the BB Classic interview and my feelings about crossing the stage on Friday?! I tell you what, I FEEL THE BEST I EVER HAVE RIGHT NOW! When you let that little light of confidence shine at any size, you silently give permission for others to do the same. To me, fitness is not a size, fitness is a feeling. For my girls in these challenge groups, my friends, my family – my success is based on how many I can share this healthy adventure with and bring along with me! This year I’ve been focusing on giving up being “perfect” for being authentic. So how can I bring that genuine, authentic me to the stage and not get caught up in comparing myself to other tiny, 5% body fat, slender, ladies going into the Classic?
Well, we have the choice of bare feet or heels for the Classic, guess what I’ll be wearing? Not heels! I have a great bathing suit from Winners that I bought last year. I’m doing my own hair and make up, no fake lashes, I have a funny shorts tan and currently have a broken fingernail. If Beachbody has taught me anything it is to be MYSELF. I want to love and look forward to my healthy journey, otherwise I know it won’t stick. It’s a competition within myself, not against anyone else.
In conclusion
There’s “more to love” on my arms, tummy and thighs but my body is strong and healthy. I biked 180 kms in 2 days, taught 52 spin classes, and worked out nearly 365 out of the last 365 days, and cooked A LOT of CHICKEN. (Matt did too 😉 ) I went 4 days in a row without fruit in an attempt to follow the countdown to competition meal plan. When I feel the “creep” of summer, and the jiggle when I jump – that is a part of me and I love it and will embrace it. It’s the 30th birthday bottle of wine, the unbelievably delicious wedding cake slice, the BBQ steak dinner enjoyed with family, the peanut butter toast, the summer food truck treats, the emergency that meant no meal prep, the celebratory dinner, or the Happy Meal after a night out. The way I wish to live means short workouts, healthy food (from all food groups, especially carbs!!), wine, friends, family and special occasions – a lifestyle and healthy approach to what FITS ME. I do not wish to live where something pressures me to “FIT” into something that makes me miserable, or always feeling inept. So when I see what I call “more to love” on my body, I see the richness of being lucky enough to have a full fridge, a full social calendar, and a lifestyle I can enjoy.
The BB Classic to me means being confident enough to love myself “through thick and thin”. It means being a role model and rocking exactly who I am and where I am in honour of my friends and other fearless females. Because you know what, being yourself is beautiful! In my opinion fitness is a feeling, a confidence built through a sense of self, be it found or created – it’s built right into your core. It is your own authenticity, being as true as possible to yourself, and giving yourself permission to learn and grow, and not be perfect for anyone else but perfect for YOU. This fitness feeling can ground you when you’re lost, soothe you when you’re falling apart, and build you back up after being defeated. A beauty and belief in yourself – in my opinion – is what the BB Classic is. It means being proud of me, proud of my body and all of the adventures it will take me on.
“TIME IS PRECIOUS.”
— ERICA
