From the Outside Looking In

Bodybuilding is a sport that appears to be a vanity contest to many on the outside looking inWhen reduced to a definition as simple as “getting on stage to be judged for how your body looks compared to someone else” then sure, you could argue it is one

But, for me, bodybuilding gives me a space to work on myself & build my physique to meet criteria I’ve elected to hold myself to & it allows me to make peace with my body in a way I couldn’t before bodybuildingHow does that make any sense??

Prior to competing, I saw my body as an enemy…something that needed to change in order to be loved or accepted or celebratedI was hypercritical & often participated in upward comparison that left me feeling empty

With competing, I gained the ability to accept & actually appreciate the fact that our bodies are always evolving

Bodybuilding helps me to see that today’s body is not tomorrows & tomorrows will not be next months… even when “maintaining”

Meticulous data tracking has made it clear that this body is always in flow

Pursuing a physique that aligns with a set of criteria set forth by the league for the division I compete in has allowed me to be in a position to CHOOSE how I want to be judged & in a sense, subject myself to it in a safe & fulfilling environment, as opposed to little celeste who was judged but not by choice or according to agreed upon standards…If you compete because you want to have a body that you see in stage shots or you see when people are within striking distance of their next show, I’m not really sure that bodybuilding is the sport for youIt takes a lot of time, changes, effort, & building to get to a place where those fluctuations of body mass get smaller

The stage body won’t last & you’ll lose an appreciation for the body that actually got you there

You’ll go through your prep forgetting that eventually you’ll need to reverse, restore, rebuild….& when that time comes, reality may hit harder as you have to adjust your expectations & views of yourself

This is why I say #BUILDMORETHANJUSTABODY as this is about INNER growth…the body will become the BONUS when you focus on what really matters