Changing Your Goals (by Lizzy Ostro)

If you’re reading this, you’re most likely a pretty driven person with a set of goals that you wish to accomplish. Not just anyone can walk on stage in 5 inch heels and a bikini with confidence. The dedication and hard work that is put into those few minutes on stage is grinding, but absolutely worth it.

Most of us set goals a few times per year. A lot of time is spent thinking about these goals and when we write them down, they are set in stone. But should that always be the case?

If we set out goals and do not complete them, we all feel like failures. There may be many reasons that your goals weren’t accomplished, but if you did all that you could, there is no reason to get down on yourself about it. Rather, maybe it’s time to change your goals. Maybe you were a bit ambitious with your goals, and this might be just the right time to adjust your goals and reevaluate what you want out of life.

It can be pretty easy to get caught up in competing. I, for one, take the sport very seriously and sometimes forget that there is another world outside of competing. I’ve only competed in two shows, but my training, eating, and sleeping schedule all revolve around getting my body to the condition that I want it in. I’m not always perfect, but I strive to be perfect and that is what keeps me engaged in my training. I am a very competitive person, and I won’t step on stage unless I feel that I am bringing the best package I possibly can to the stage. There will always be more shows. I repeat, there will ALWAYS BE MORE SHOWS.

Recently, I was faced with a dilemma. This entire year I had been planning to compete at a national show. First plan was Jr. Nationals, but when push came to shove, that wasn’t going to happen for financial reasons. NPC USA’s was next on the list and I began dieting about 16 weeks out for this show. Last week, at just 4.5 weeks out from the show, I decided that this wasn’t my show, and that I would not be competing. The measures that I would have to take to be ready for this show weren’t the healthiest, and even still didn’t guarantee the look that I wanted. I risked burning off the muscle that I worked extremely hard for, and my mind was telling me that this just wasn’t my show. Stepping away from a show after training hard for 12 weeks was and is really tough. It made me feel like I was quitting, and that I was a big F-word. No, not that word; this one: failure.

I thought about it for a few days and came to this conclusion. The goal that I set for myself was a great goal, but had I continued to strive for it, I would have sacrificed my health and body. For someone who is looking to do just one show and be done with it, this might be acceptable to them. For the 12 weeks that I did prepare for it, I put in 100% of my efforts. My diet was spot on and so was my training. I can’t be mad at myself for doing all that I could. My body just wasn’t ready for it and I can’t force it.

I like competing, and I want to continue to compete for as long as I enjoy it. And in order for me to do that, I need to think long-term. I came to a big realization while I was thinking about all of this. In order to get long-term results, you need long-term goals. If that means that I won’t be able to step on stage until August, September, or even October, then so what. What is the rush? As far as I can see, competitions aren’t going anywhere. Maybe changing your goals isn’t such a bad thing after all. As long as it isn’t an excuse used to put OFF your goals, it can be beneficial to your mind and your body. Work hard every day towards the things you want out of life and don’t ever lose sight of that.

As I continue to grow on my journey as a bikini competitor, it amazes me how many new things I learn each day. This new lesson has taught me another side of patience that I hadn’t encountered before and has left me with a new mantra: Short term goals will only get me short term results, and I’m in this for the long haul.

So You Want to Compete?! by Lizzy Ostro

I am now 8 weeks out from my first national bikini competition, and this is where the nerves really start to heat up! Of course, making sure my body is in peak condition is of high importance, but it’s the minor details that are stressing me out the most!

The Suit: $50 - $1,000 Depending on how much money you have at your disposal and how much you’re willing to shell out for a top quality suit, finding a suit that flatters your figure, and a color that brings out your best features can be a daunting task. Bikinis are basically made in a few different styles, but every girl’s body is different. I am a flat-chest, long torso, long leg kind of girl. Straight on I’m kind of boxy, but if I turn to the side, you will see my lovely lady lump. Yep, I’ve got a booty. Needless to say, finding just the right suit can be difficult, but that’s why we have tailors 

The Tanning: $50-$150 To the innocent bystander, we all look like we got into a fight with a puddle of mud. In reality, it’s one of the sacrifices we give to look great on stage. The extravagant tan looks just plain ridiculous in broad daylight, and is by no means an attractive look. However, when you step under the extremely bright lights of the stage, you look like you belong, and it brings out your figure to the fullest. I won’t even get into what your skin starts to look like about a week after the competition (think Michael Jackson going from black to white), but it’s just a part of competing. Bending over so your tanning expert can make sure you have no lines on stage is a totally different story in itself, but I will just preface by saying that you must feel completely comfortable being naked and in awkward positions. Moving on….

The Hotel: Up to $500 Again this depends on how much you’re willing to spend and how long you’re staying in that city. Some go for luxury, some are okay as long as there is a clean floor to sleep on. The big thing that is an absolute MUST for any competitor staying at a hotel is the refrigerator. If you are able to pull off a microwave as well, then you’re just plain lucky. All of that pre-cooked chicken and asparagus has to go somewhere, after all. Find a few girlfriends to share the room with to cut down on costs, and obviously to rub your bikini bite on you. Hey, someone’s gotta do it. You will become closer to these people than you ever thought possible, that’s for sure.

The Hair: $50 - $100 This is a pretty crucial part of the process. You want to look dazzling on stage, and a good hairdo can bring this out. Some girls prefer to just keep it simple, and some girls go all out with crazy curls and updo’s. I have redunkulously (yeah I said redunkulous) long hair, so I like to go with long, flowy curls. It looks best on me, and most importantly, I feel most comfortable in it.

The Makeup: 50- $150 This is one gift I am thankful for. Although I couldn’t do someone else’s makeup to save my life, I am able to do my own pretty well. Stage makeup is completely different than your every day make up or even your “night on the town” makeup. You are on stage with bright lights and you need to shine. This equates to putting on pounds of makeup. In regular light, some might mistake you for a clown, or worse, Lady GaGa, but on stage, you will look amazing. My best advice: Become really good friends with a make-up artist (if they do hair as well, that’s icing on the cake, but don’t eat the cake until after the competition) and make them follow you around to your competitions.

The Nails $40-$60 I made the mistake of showing up to a competition without my nails done once (gasp!). I didn’t think anyone would notice, but after placing 5th and not being happy about that, I talked to the judges. “Your hands and toes didn’t match and weren’t done.” I guess they noticed. Although to me that seems like a stupid reason (there were other reasons too, mind you) to make someone place lower, I realized that overall stage presence is a big deal. Do whatever you can to look great on stage, this means shelling out a few extra dollars to get yo’ nails did!

The Shoes $20-$40 This is the cheapest part of competing. It’s also the most fun because it’s an excuse to wear 5-6 inch clear stripper heels and not be considered, well, a stripper. Not that there’s anything wrong with strippers, but you actually get to be considered classy while wearing them. Double score!

The Entry Fees $200ish This is fun. Not only do you pay an entry fee, but you pay a fee to the organization you’re competing with. They always get you somehow!! Such is life…

The Travel Accomodations $Varies This can be really cheap or really expensive. It all depends where you’re coming from and how you’re getting there. If you are only a few hours away and can drive, that’s your best bet. Not only is it usually cheaper to drive (unless you are like me and drive a big diesel truck that gets negative 6 miles to the gallon) but it’s easier to pack! Bringing protein powder and 5 pounds of pre-cooked, pre-bagged chicken can cause quite the back-up at airport security. If you can drive, do it. If not, freeze your chicken, then pack it right before your flight. It will thaw out some on the flight, but won’t spoil (hopefully.)

Posing $ 1.5 bajillion Posing coaches are expensive. If you can find a friend/former competitor or anyone that knows a thing or two about posing, you are better off doing that. Posing coaches are a great tool, and stage presence/posing is extremely important in overall scoring. If you have the extra funds, go for it, if not, get a mirror, log on to You Tube, start doing your daily chores in your heels, and practice, practice, practice!!

As you can see, all of those additional components of competing (read: stresses) that I mentioned had nothing to do with dieting or training. The dieting and training are essentially the least stressful. Sure, they are tough and must be on point, but when you know what you’re doing, it’s just a matter of doing it. Getting everything coordinated is quite the task in itself.

I’m not trying to scare anyone off from competing. As pricey and stressful as it is, the rewards of competing outweigh them immensely. Your confidence, resilience and overall outlook on life change with competing. It has been the greatest influence on my life and I wouldn’t trade those experiences and future experiences for anything in the world!

Motivation Article (by Lizzy Ostro)

There is one single factor that sets the top athletes apart from the mediocre ones. It can’t be seen, it can only be felt, and at one point or another we all have it. The problem is keeping it. You never know when it will return, and sometimes that can be a long time.

Motivation is the action of goal-oriented behaviors, according to Wikipedia. And in the words of Michael Scott, “Wikipedia is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject, so you know you are getting the best possible information.”

Moving on....

We all know how much easier it is to work towards our goals when we are motivated. We are constantly seeking motivation, and when we have it we are thinking of ways to keep it. So why is motivation such an important tool?

Being motivated is a fire. It ignites inside of you, and tackles everything in its path. In turn, our feelings of optimism and success grow. It is the alarm clock that pulls you out of bed for those early morning work outs, and the energy that drives your car to the gym after working long hours.

Many people seek out others’ help to get motivated and try to grab motivation from every source that they can find. The truth is, that motivation comes from inside. You will not be motivated until you are ready to be motivated. You can fake it and try to form it, but chances are, if you aren’t ready for it, it’s not going to stick.

Gather your wood and sticks and start building your fire. It might take time, but once you find the sweet spot, you will have a beautiful flame that will burn nice and steadily.

Uncovering the Myths #1: Bikini Girls Don't Work Hard (by Lizzy Ostro)

Since being introduced to NPC, bikini has gotten a mixed reaction from all types of competitors and spectators.

First of all, many figure girls(not all of them) really look down at the bikini division. They think it is the "easy" way to compete and that it isn't a real sport. Alternatively, there are many girls that saw the bikini division open up and just think "oh I want to do that!!" These girls entered without really being into fitness. They had pretty good genetics and wanted to get on stage in a bikini and flaunt their asses around.(Hey, I'm just being honest.) The bikini "look" is a fit, toned body, that isn't as dried out as a figure girl. YES, you should have some muscle and YES you should be lean, but you just don't want to have as much muscle as the figure girls or be quite as lean. I truly think the division should be called fitness model, because bikini gives the impression that I am going to step on stage in a white t-shirt and have a hose spraying me while I pretend I just realized I forgot to rub all my lotion in and, what better time than now?

THESE are the girls that give the sport a bad rap. These are the girls that don't train much, and don't really follow the healthy lifestyle. They walk on stage and stick their boobs and ass out as far as possible, hoping to swoon the judges. No wonder there are so many haters on bikini! What really makes me angry is when these girls actually PLACE. But that topic is for another day....

I'm here to give you an inside view of a REAL bikini girl. The kind of bikini competitor that this division was made for. The girl that works her ASS off and lives the true fitness lifestyle. The girl that gives up drinking and makes sure to get her 8 hours of sleep per night. A girl that says no to happy hour because she has her 4 oz of chicken and broccoli waiting for her. Let me take you through the life of a real bikini competitor. There are MANY of them out there, but it's the one's who play a stripper on stage that ruin the name for everyone.

-The alarm clock goes off at 5:30AM. I don't have to be at work until noon, but it's time to start the day off right. I cook my egg whites and chow down on my oats. After all, I'm starving when I wake up. I throw on my work out clothes, check e-mail and head to the gym. It's time to train!!

-I get to the gym and hop on the treadmill to warm up a little bit. It's back day, so while I'm warming up, I imagine my workout and what exercises I'm going to do. I think about the rep count. Supersets today? Maybe drop sets? What about both? Sounds good to me.

After a 5-10 minute warm up, I glove up and get my head in the zone. I head to the Lat Pulldowns. I do a few warm up sets and then get to work. 10 reps. I can barely get the last two, but I groan and push through them. Drop the weight by a third and do 6-8 more reps. I'm already out of breath. A quick sip of water and I'm ready for cable rows. 4 sets of the super set and I'm ready for the next.

-After I finish, usually about an hour, it's time for cardio. I walk right past the elliptical and onto the stair mill. Set it up at level 9-10 and I'm ready to camp out for about 45 minutes. Ipod is doing it's job, and I'm pushing myself mentally. Mantras and quotes are buzzing through my head and I'm thinking about what I'm going to eat after my workout. More egg whites? Chicken? Lean ground turkey? What veggies do I want? Nuts or avocado?

-The rest of the day I just have to focus on nutrition. The workout is done and now I just have to make sure I eat at the right times and that I'm eating the right foods/amounts. For some, the workout is the hardest part. For others, like myself, the diet is the hardest part. I'm dieting down for a show, so I'm not eating for energy. I'm eating to get leaner. This equates to HUNGER. I do my best to combat the hunger. Extra veggies, lots of water, gum. If that doesn't work, I go through competitor pictures and imagine what I will look like come show time.

Before I know it, I'm leaving work and ready to go home to eat my last meal of the day, do more work and finally get to bed. It's Friday night and my friends are all going out tonight. Sometimes I might say yes, but I have an early workout tomorrow and I need my sleep. I turn them down, drink my protein shake and get ready for bed. It's 9pm, and this day is done. I am one day closer to my goals. "You can do this," I tell myself and slip into dreamland.

If I hear one more person tell me that a bikini girl doesn't work hard, I might just have to challenge them to a push up contest. I'm not someone that likes to argue with people, I'd rather just prove them wrong. I'm here to prove to all of you that think that REAL bikini girls don't work hard, that you are so very wrong. There are hundreds of bikini competitors just like me that work their butts off, and it's time that we are made known. After all, WE are who this division is about.

Let's keep it classy ladies, we've got a division to represent.