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Nspiring in 2017


 


A new year always brings new goals and new resolutions. 2016 was very good to me 
but 2017 is going to blow this year out of the water. In 2016, I competed twice after having a baby and learned some big lessons about taking time to grow. I was also blessed to join the Nspire Sports League (NSL) team as a judge. Taking on this responsibility was an amazing experience and to be honest, it has changed my focus and my life. I have watched this league has gain steam so quickly due to the caliber 
of athletes they attract. The founders, Lee Thompson and Jen Thompson, are dedicated to transparency in bodybuilding and are committed to the athlete’s 
experience. Richard Basantes and Jeff Belles, owners of NSL Atlanta, made theAtlanta show nothing short of the most professional show I had ever seen as an 
athlete myself. Everything from the venue, down to the details of the post show experience (hello donuts for everyone) made me want to throw on a bikini and jump on stage. 
 
After having time to discuss the judging with the head judges and the commissioner himself, it became apparent to me that a standard was finally being set for this industry, a particularly important one for me being bikini. As I reflected back on my experience with NSL, I wondered what I was looking for in the competition world.All of this hard work for one day and maybe, just maybe a trophy or medal to show 
for it. As I watched the competitors walk away from the Atlanta show and then again in Houston a month later, I noticed the bond that they had developed. They may have been competing against each other but they were also supporting each other on Instagram, Facebook and IN PERSON!!! Those are the kind of relationships that I want out of the fitness industry. I am fortunate enough to see these relationships 
develop as a coach but I continue to see this kind of community growing in the NSL. It sounds a little cheesy, I know, but when your passion is fitness and you have a humble, hardworking network of likeminded people in your corner, that is what 
makes the months of training, dieting, and grinding worth it. You truly know you've made it when you are apart of something great! 
 

I have spent a lot of time wondering what my next move would be. I feel like I am always in fat loss mode and never allow my body time to heal or to grow. In addition to that, I miss the flexibility of macro counting versus meal plans. I am pretty much a 
creature of habit anyway so I end up eating a lot of the same things but there is just something refreshing about switching things up when you can! I knew I wanted to take some time to grow. To start enjoy lifting again not because I had to but because 
I wanted to. I wanted to find new motivation. I decided that 2017 would be a year of new adventures. I will focus solely on building a more muscular physique for two different stages this year. The NSL is going to be on fire this year and I am super excited to add competing to the table this year. They have so many shows this year that it'll be hard for me to choose a date but I want to make sure I'm ready and not just picking a date to pick one. Quality first! 

 In addition, I am taking a huge leap and diving into a whole new realm-the WBFF. I have always had an obsession with how glamorous the WBFF is and how conditioned their athletes are. After a lot of consideration ( and honest convos with my coach) , I decided to put it all on the table and go for it. Doing these two shows  will take more work than I have ever put into prep before but I am committed to making this my biggest transformation EVER! 

2017 will be a year of coaching, traveling to shows, judging, and competing myself! So 2017, let's do this! 

 

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