"Do, or do not. There is no try." -Yoda

I recently fell in love with Star Wars. I went 36 years without watching any of the movies and between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve I binged watched every episode.  Of course I fell in love with the wise and (not so handsome) Yoda.

"Do, or do not. There is no try." -Yoda

This is how I feel about my decision to participate in the bodybuilding competition. When Meg first approached me with the idea, I did not immediately say yes.  I researched, spoke to a few people I knew who had participated, studied workouts and diets, and looked at competitor blogs. When I committed to Meg, I  did not commit to try, I committed to DO.

We hired Cody McDonald (www.codymacfitness.com) who is a professional body builder and fitness model, to be our coach.  Cody and I went to high school together and I am familiar with her athleticism and intelligence and I am inspired by her journey in NPC and WBFF competition.

Meg and I began our journey by documenting our daily metrics (weight, body fat percentage, muscle percentage, body mass index.) We also document everything we eat and drink as well as our workouts and hours of sleep.

Between October 12 and January 6 we were "bulking." Which means operating in a calorie surplus to build muscle. We began eating 7 meals per day, one meal every 2-3 hours. The foods and quantities were determined by our coach.

As of January 6 we are officially in our "prep." Thus far, our only changes have been adding a second workout each day, usually High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT.)   HIIT is in the morning and our weight training session is in the evening. This month we cut out carbs after 4pm and our protein per serving changed from 5 grams to 4 grams.

The Northern Colorado Championships on April 8 (my 37th birthday) is our planned bodybuilding debut.  I have been advised to "trust the process." And though I still cannot picture myself posing in a tiny, sparkling bikini... I have decided to listen to the little green Yoda. I will not try, I will DO!!!