Its been one week since the Spring 2016 season wrapped up and the whirlwind of excitement has finally calmed down enough for me to sit down and capture the end of the season. Where to even begin? If you’ve been following along on social media (IG: @shestrongorg), you’ve already been bombarded with my bikini/trophy spam. […]
April
23
1 Week Out: Scaling The Wall
posted by shestrong
“Your body will want to quit – your mind will need to convince it not to.” For anyone that has run a marathon, you are likely familiar with “the wall”. When I was training for my first marathon, I remember hitting my 20-milers on Saturday mornings and thinking, “the wall? Pshhht. I’ve definitely got 6.2 […]
April
17
2 Weeks Out: Polish & Gratitude
posted by shestrong
“This is my favorite part of prep,” – a phrase I’ve found myself repeating on almost a daily basis this week. And I really mean it! Why? We’ve reached the point where months of discipline, sacrifice, struggle, dripping sweat, flowing tears, and unrelenting mind over body strength all come to a head. These last few days […]
April
10
3 Weeks Out: No Finish Line
posted by shestrong
6 of 7 days this week were spent on business in Tampa, FL. And guess what? I followed my plan exactly and was rewarded with some significant fat loss. No cocktails, no awards banquet carrot cake, no sleeping in and skipping my daily workout. I did it! And now, I am officially done with ALL […]
April
03
4 Weeks Out: Competition Month!
posted by shestrong
Prep in a Zip-Loc Bag: I’m currently writing from the sky, on my flight to Tampa for work this week (last trip during prep – woohoo!) Every April, we have our annual sales kick-off event in Florida and last year was a doozy because it was just 2 weeks out from stage day. Thankfully, this […]
March
25
5 Weeks Out: Munchies & Sparkles
posted by shestrong
Before I dive into my usual ramblings about food and bikinis, I want to thank each and every one of you who took the time to send me a a note of kindness & support after my post last week. This week has been a continuation of grief and struggle but the love that has […]
March
19
6 Weeks Out: Digging Deep
posted by shestrong
There’s no other way to start: this was an excruciating week. I debated whether or not to even write my regular blog entry because my head is somewhere else. But I’ve made a commitment to myself, at the very least, to journal this season. And so, here I am on Saturday night, on my couch, […]
March
13
7 & 8 Weeks Out: Prep on the Road
posted by shestrong
Oops! I skipped my post last week due to business travel (sorry, y’all!) but I am back home for a few weeks before I have one more biz trip before the shows. Whew – I forgot how challenging travel is when on prep, especially this close to the show when my food is laser-precise and […]
February
28
9 Weeks Out: Farewell Tour
posted by shestrong
My entire outlook on competing this spring changed with one piece of news: We’re moving! Yep, that’s right, this week we found out we’re relocating to the east coast this summer. Translation: This prep will be my LAST one with Team Chrome and in the PacNW bodybuilding community. In the blink of an eye, my […]
February
21
10 Weeks Out: The Wonder Twins
posted by shestrong
I allocate most of my blog real estate to the worlds of bikini and figure. But when I compete, I am lucky enough to be on stage in 3 events, not just 2. Enter: Mixed Pairs. Traditionally, Mixed Pairs entails a male and female duo performing a 90-second routine in which they mash up a variety of […]
