Preparing for a bodybuilding competition can be compared to prepping for a wedding day. It is NOT normal fitness. During competition prep, there is an endpoint a goal. That goal is to bring the best ever physique to the stage. In real life, there is no endpoint until one goe toes up 6 feet under.
The “competition ready body” is not meant to be sustainable. It is what I call a borrowed body. Why do I bring this up? Because it is analogous to losing weight for an event, only to rebound after the event. Because once a goal is met, the person is lost. Goals expire, but your purpose does not expire. Bodybuilders experience this too just like newlyweds after the wedding and honeymoon. I can vouch for both of these situations.?
The only lasting goal that counts is our purpose.
What a true purpose is:
- to maximize health and fitness
- to eat to nourish, not to punish
- to enjoy the journey
- to be living proof that women can be healthy enjoy themselves
- to maximize health with a strong fit body and mindset.
- to sail into midlife and beyond with a healthy mindset and fit body.
These purposes do not make us live in such a rigid way that we cannot enjoy life. Wine (if that is or thing) and amazing foods are part of a healthy content life…. I am of Italian descent and married to a Cuban, therefore we covet great food and drink!
Enjoying great food and wine while maintaining a fit moderately lean physique is possible. The key is to be consistent. This is the opposite of overindulging and then following up with a crazy restrictive short-term diet or detox. That kind of living is exhausting and evokes self-shame.
No one wants to be around a rigid militant dieter who is probably a miserable closet indulger anyway. The challenge is learning to enjoy responsibly. Consistency is always healthier than extreme restriction followed by extreme indulgence. This requires letting go of perfection. Being 80-90% consistent is far more effective than trying to be perfect, and giving into overeating from exhausted willpower.
Join in on this journey. We are passionate about helping women manage fitness and food freedom with responsibility. Sign up for the newsletter for tips on maximizing fitness for health at any age. We don’t do fad diets or crazy low-calorie schemes.
We do real life.
FREE Video Series: The Best Exercises for Women Over 40!
Free 3-Part video Series goes in-depth teaching you how to perform the above exercises step-by-step THE RIGHT WAY without getting hurt.