Let's Raise a Glass to all the Stay at Home Moms

If I wasn't 3.5 weeks out from a show I would raise a glass to all the stay at home moms and especially those who are training for a show this summer. Holy Moly! It's hard! My last show was on May 25th so I only had one week where the kids were out of school before I had to compete. This time however, I have been prepping for World's the entire summer. My job allows me to make my own schedule but I have hardly worked at all this summer.

I am a stress eater (and drinker). And listening to mommy, mommy, mommy, 15 gazillion times a day and mommy he hit me, or it's my turn to play the game...well that can certainly drive you to the loony bin or to the pantry. But never as much as when you are in serious show prep mode. I have learned to take a deep breath...then another....then another. Until eventually, I am OK or I pass out. LOL

I don't want to say it is easier to train for a show without kids, but I am going to anyway. It is easier to train for a show without kids. My husband is very supportive so I can only imagine what it must be like for those of you who are training and doing all the kid rearing without the help of your spouse. Kudos to you!

So for those of you who struggle with the balance of it all, know you are not alone. And in the end, it is worth it. No one can take away your achievements or your success...even though your children may try to destroy your trophies in a battle to determine the strongest woman alive!

Sponsorships

As I prepare for my first Pro show in 3.5 weeks, I am beginning to get ideas about where to go from here. Since becoming a pro I have learned that you have to sell yourself more than ever. Everyone thinks, "Hey you're pro now, why don't you get a sponsor?" Well, Gee! Why didn't I think of that? LOL That is so much harder than you think. “The next big fitness model or athlete” is approaching companies daily. Most of them just want to give you their products and that's it. I want and NEED more than that. My show in Vegas will cost me about $2000 and that is with me having my supplements and suit sponsored. And I will be wearing the same formal again. UGH! 

Hearing NO can get you down as well...but only if you let it. I have been told NO many times and now I am being told yes by some. Others make promises and never deliver...shame on them. And some just disappoint you so bad you are paralyzed for a short time. This happened to me a couple of weeks ago when I was turned down by my gym for sponsorship. Yes, I do a weekly fitness segment for them on a local morning show for FREE! And yes I get asked all the time where I workout. They do give me a free membership, but two other gyms do that as well for me.  My dilemma stems from the fact that I LOVE the people from my gym. They have supported me so much throughout my years of competing and some have supported me financially. I really hate to ask again to be quite honest. Maybe that is pride getting in the way.

Despite these setbacks, I honestly feel God has a bigger plan for me. I am not sure where all the money will come from, but I know it will come. I had one young man offer to do a boot camp and a meet and greet and give all the money raised to me for my show. I have another young man printing t-shirts with his logo on them and putting my name on the back and sharing the proceeds with me as well. Such support. I am blessed to have people like that in my life. Not because of what they can do for me, but because I learn from them on how I can help others.

I still have a couple of different options that I will pursue. I will keep you updated on that. As for as what I am going to do after World's, that is to be seen. My goal is to have my website up and running by the end of the year. I have several different ideas on how I could share my knowledge and supplement my income as well. Wish me Luck!

You can watch me live on August 24th

PRO CARD BABY!

I did it! On May 25th, 2013 I competed in my first WBFF event and won my pro card. I did so by placing first in 35+ Bikini Diva Model. I also finished 3rd in the Open Bikini Diva Short class. What a night. I have never had so much fun on stage. If you have ever read any of my blogs in the past, you may know that I am not a natural on stage. In fact, I have never enjoyed being on stage. That was just a means to an end. Well not any more. I rocked it on that stage and while I do "fake it till I make it", I actually started believing it myself this time. I have gotten some feedback from judges and non-judges alike who said "You Rocked it!" I never thought I would have anyone, much less a judge say that about me. I knew my posing was good, but not my sass and swagger. I was very pleased with my physique. I do believe I was holding a little water this time. My hormones are off right now, so that may have accounted for that. While me backside has improved dramatically over the last year, there is still room for improvement. The shape is great, just need to work a little more on that ham/glute tie in.

The number one question I have been getting is what does having your Pro Card mean? Well, it's like any athlete going from amateur to pro ranks. Arnold Schwarzenegger was a pro in the IFBB. And while it is not like a pro football player (where you get paid to play) it is somewhat the same status among your peers. I will compete for money however. Having a pro status can possibly open up a lot of doors for you. It really just depends on what your goals are and how hard you are willing to work. Some want to be fitness models, others want to promote their training or other business. I would like to find a big sponsor to just cover the cost of competing. I think it's fun but comes with financial burdens. I have a few things I am considering doing, but nothing for sure yet. My number one priority is my family and they will obviously take center stage before anything else.

Right now I am taking a couple of weeks off to spend with my family then I will be hard at it again. The World Championship is in 12 weeks in Vegas and I will be there with my sass and swagger. Feel free to friend me on my facebook page or like my other page to see pictures.

https://www.facebook.com/CandaceHarmonBikiniCompetitor?ref=hl

https://www.facebook.com/candace.harmon.5?ref=tn_tnmn

Illness during training

With only about 5 weeks to go, I am pressing on each day. At this point, keeping momentum is the key. I always have a rough week at 6 weeks out and usually again at 2 weeks out. I think that is due to the fact this is where I cut out the real cheat meals and the "mommy" juice. (wine, appletinis). My physique is only one part to competing. Booking hotel, photo shoots, hair appointments, getting my formal, learning to walk in my formal lol, getting my t shirts printed, selling my t shirts, posing posing posing. And the list goes on and on. Throw work and now a short little live fitness segment on a local news station every Friday and I am surely on my way to insanity.

In the midst of all this, I got sick and was out for two days. Being sick reminded me about an article I wrote some time ago. I thought I would re-post it. It explains why as competitors we tend to get sick. Remember I wrote the following in 2011.





I feel as if I have spent the last week a bit under the weather or taking care of others who were. Last week's weigh in showed another pound down. That was good considering I missed two days in the gym. This week I have not made it to the gym at all. I did do a workout (pretty intense) on Monday here at home. However, I have been sick since then. So what's going on? You would think that by eating healthy I would be more immune to illnesses. This dilemma actually sparked my attention around Christmas. I got to thinking and realized that anytime I was training for a show, I always ended up with a cold towards the last six weeks of training. This confused me. I happened onto another blog of a competitor who experienced the same thing. After reading what she came up with and doing some research of my own, I think I may have figured out what is going on. First of all, diseases and illnesses cannot exist in an alkaline body. At least, that is the presumption. Most of us, because of our diets, maintain a body which is acidic most of the time. My diet is expecially susceptible to this. Why? Because animal proteins are acidic and what am I eating? Chicken, eggs, and fish. Even my coffee causes me to be acidic. Even if your body is in the "healthy" range regarding pH, (mine was 6.5), it is not alkaline. 6.5 actually leans more to the acidic side. So how can you know what your pH is? Well, you can either buy urine test sticks or saliva sticks. I just happened to have the urine sticks, but saliva sticks would be more accurate I would think, because it tests the activity of the digestive enzymes of the body. If testing your urine, it should be acidic when you first get up in the morning. This represents good kidney function. But, throughout the day you want to see that change.
 How can you keep your body alkaline? First of all you can eat more vegetables and less of the foods I have mentioned above. Then what does that leave? Not much. Apparently, we need to become vegetarians.  You can add fresh lemon juice to your water. Sounds like you would want to avoid this, but that isn't true. Fresh lemon juice can actually help keep your acidity down. There are also supplements to help. There are very knowledgeable  people with an expertise of herbs and supplements that can help. I will continue to do research on this and see what I come up with. I recommend you do the same. Let me know what you find out.


Note: 4/18/13 Today I now know that I should be taking a good Coral Calcium. This will keep your body more alkaline, making you less susceptible to illness. 

Thought I would throw a progress pic in. This is last weekend at 6 weeks out.

Prep time

Wow! The last month has been a bit of a whirlwind. Since making the decision to switch over to the WBFF I have been extremely busy preparing for my show on May 25th in Kansas City. I made a trip to Oklahoma to meet my team in person for the first time and learned more about everything. I came back pumped and ready to SHOW! If you are thinking about doing a show, here is a typical week of preparing. 
I did all this since last Friday (it is Wednesday night as I write this). I picked out a formal, decided on shoes, blinged out my bikini, (looks awesome), scheduled alterations for tomorrow, sold more ads for the back of my t-shirts, made improvements to my t-shirt design, and started collected money from those who committed to purchasing an ad. All this while still being a mom and wife and doing the everyday things that we moms do. Let's not forget my workouts and posing practice mixed in with all that. It is spring break for my kids this week so I have chosen not to work this week at my RN job. I have also committed to just hanging out with the kids and not stressing about everything I need to be doing. Thankfully, I will have a little break tomorrow as they are with my mom.
 I wanted to share some pictures of my weekend with the girls. We had a fun photo shoot. I will share the final pictures when we get them. I will also be posting, in the next couple of days, more progress pictures. This weekend will be 10 weeks out.

I am the third from the front left above.

Below: Goofing around after our posing clinic.

January 2013 progress...

Today is the first day I took pictures to track my progress for the 2013 season. I was very disappointed in the results and a bit frustrated too. My goal was to maintain around 14-15% and no higher. Somewhere in the last couple of months, I have crept up to almost 16%. Not a big deal to the average person, but to a competitor that one percent is going to be a problem.

The problem here is that I am preparing for a photo shoot on March 3rd. I do not need to be "show" ready, but I do need to be leaner. And for me that means I need to be below 12% because that is when my cellulite goes away. YES, I have cellulite. It plagues me like it does most women. I embrace it now in everyday life and live with it, but I am not embracing the idea of looking at it in a photo...even if it can be airbrushed out. I will still know it was there.

I have been dieting the last two weeks a bit stricter, allowing only one cheat meal per week. So why did I not lose? I have to be honest with myself and lately I have not. My hormones have been out of whack for quite some time now and I have complained about it but have not done anything about, until yesterday that is. I am now seeing a doctor who was very concerned about me and my current symptoms. Labs, a biopsy, and more tests next week will rule out anything serious. I will start a new medication tomorrow that I hope will give me some relief and maybe allow my body to return to normal. Well, lets me honest, this is probably "normal" for someone my age. Getting older just SUCKS!

If your hormones are not regulated it can have a huge impact on weight loss. I am certain I will have all this "fixed" in a couple of months, but until then I may find it to be quite the struggle. I have to have patience but be diligent about my training and not give in to "getting down" over it. Believe me, I just wanted to come home and eat a bag of chips when I saw no change. Instead, I just ate what I was supposed to and said, next week will be better. 

If you are struggling with weight loss or meeting your goals, I encourage you to hang in there. It happens to all of us at different times. You can't win if you don't finish so see it thru.

Follow me on Facebook: 

 www.facebook.com/CandaceHarmonBikiniCompetitor

Decision made...goals set

I finally made my decision to switch from the NPC and go with the WBFF. In doing this, I also decide to join a great group of women...Team BSH (Bling, Sweat, and Heels). I don't think I could have picked out a better name. It kind of describes me to a T. This group of women are like a support group. They offer encouragement, advice, and are there for those "off" days that we all have. I am just trying to get to know them thru facebook and chats and can't wait until I can meet them in person. I will be sharing more about my team as I begin my count down to my first WBFF show on May 25th in Kansas City. Follow me on facebook at the link below. 


www.facebook.com/CandaceHarmonBikiniCompetitor

The WBFF

It's taken me a little time, but here is some information and my opinion of the WBFF and what it has to offer.  My research comes from watching numerous videos, looking at photos, and talking with promoters and competitors in this organization. Remember, I am unbiased here and have never competed in or known anyone personally that competed in this organization. I hope I got all the information correct and apologize if I missed something.

I will start off by saying it was hard researching this organization. There are some videos but I never knew if I was watching the Diva fitness model or the diva bikini models. I'm not sure if I am even getting the names right. Anyway, I am going to try and clear some of this up. I have been following a promoter and his wife on facebook for some time now. One thing I noticed was how helpful they seemed to be with competitors. Very encouraging. In fact I spoke with them both. Randy and Lisa Sandberg are their names and you can look them up on facebook. They are very nice people with a love for the sport and their organization. I gained so much knowledge about the organization from them. Randy and I spoke mainly about the WBFF itself as an organization. It started in Canada in 2007 (if I remember correctly) and came to the US in 2010. Paul and Allison Dillett are the brilliant minds behind this organization. It seems as if they do a lot to promote their competitors as well...and what competitor wouldn't want that. If you promote your people, they will promote you. What a great two way street. They give the competitors plenty of time on stage to showcase their physique as well as their personality. They are looking for a great physique as well as marketability.

Below is the judging criterion for the Female Diva Fitness Model directly cut and pasted from their official site. This competitor will have more muscle tone than Diva Bikini Model. Lisa Sandberg explained it this way...the fitness model would have muscle tone like that of the figure girls in the NPC.

Female Diva Fitness Model:

• Bikini round
• Theme wear round

Female Diva Fitness Model Attire Expectations:

Theme wear Round: As a WBFF Fitness Model we require female competitors to bring a creative , and glamorous theme wear to the stage. Different ideas may be, Carnival theme, Vegas Show Girls, Victoria Secret glamour, this round should not become confused with a sportswear theme round. This is definitely a very creative and glamorous round for the female delegates to display their physical beauty and conditioning.

Diva Fitness Bikini Suit

Any color pattern and style. As it is conservatively presentable. Thong style or any other inappropriate swimwear is absolutely not allowed.

·  Round #1: Themewear round, prejudging show (example: Victoria Secret style themewear must compliment the competitors physique. See above suggestions )

·  Round #2: Swimsuit bikini round

·  
40%- Overall Marketability
40%-Physique
20%- Stage Presence, Poise, Confidence


Diva Bikini Model Criteria:
The Diva Bikini Model is primarily a beauty contest. Competitors are judged upon their overall beauty and body shape and tone. This competition consists of two rounds, bikini round, and evening gown round
Female Diva Bikini Model Attire Expectations:
Bikini Suit
Swimsuit Competition:
Attention is focused on beauty of face, figure, physical fitness, and the confidence with which each contestant carries herself.
Any color pattern and style. As it is conservatively presentable. Thong style or any other inappropriate swimwear is absolutly not allowed.

Evening Gown: The following are guidelines and expectations set forth by the WBFF. Each delegate wears a gown she has chosen for herself. Attention is focused on each contestant’s overall appearance, self-confidence, sense of style and the beauty she brings to the gown of her choice.
Long gown length that falls below ankles. Any style, fabric, beads and sequins is fine. It is suggested that the female competitor chooses a gown that best shows their personality but also very a gown that is fashionable and couture. Too much patterning is not advised.

Round #1: Bikini Round two piece any style that best compliments your physique
Round #2: Evening Gown Round- Gown must be classy form fitted and long , any style

I believe the breakdown in scoring is the same as in the diva fitness model.

One thing I really like is that you can qualify for your pro card in the 35+ division. Unfortunately, they don't offer a masters class at the pro level.

Here are some comments I have heard before regarding the WBFF and my comments to them. 

1. I heard its easy to get your pro card. Not true. The Dilletts reserve the right to hand out a pro card to anyone they believe can compete at their pro level. That means if 2nd and 3rd looked good enough for their pro division, they may offer them their pro card. By the same token, if the show is not as competitive as they would like and they don't think the winner is ready to compete at their pro level, then they won't offer one to her. I think this is a great way to build your pro team in the growing years. Remember when the NPC first brought out bikini? Anyone could compete at the national level for their pro card that first and maybe second year. As long as politics and favoritism don't influence their decision (and why would they want it to? They want the best to represent them.) then this could work.

2. It's not as competitive as the NPC and IFBB- I would disagree here as well. Both the IFBB and the WBFF have pros that have graced the covers of magazines. However, in the IFBB the pros are usually signed with FMG talent who primarily do business with Muscle fitness Hers due to their relationship with the head guy. I don't think I really need to name names here. I have seen many of the WBFF pros on the covers (and several times each) of a variety of different magazines. My point is, that is hogwash. If I were to earn my pro card with the WBFF, I would be competing against models that have graced the cover of Oxygen magazine 5 times. (And that's just one example) I'm not saying the pros in the IFBB don’t look great, cause they all do, I'm just saying so do the pros in the WBFF.

One thing I do like about the WBFF is the girls don't look cookie cutter to me. They each bring a different unique physique to the stage. That is probably the one thing I disliked most about the IFBB. The girls look great, but they all look the same to me...and I find that boring.

3. It's more expensive to compete in the WBFF. That may be true. You will have a bikini as well as either a costume or an evening gown. That can cost you some dough if you don't know how to shop like a bargain hunter.

I was pleasantly surprised by the information I gained about this organization. So much so, that I am rethinking my plans for this year's competition season. Check in with me because I will be making my decision this week.