Notes for the Next Show

Thanks to everyone who posted their congratulations. It was lovely to read all your comments today.

I was pretty happy with my posing and stage presentation yesterday. The judges said the colour of my bikini really suited me, so that was nice to hear. My routine was OK - I mistimed slightly so ended up not being quite in sync with the music, but that's my own fault for not practising as much as I should have.

I had lemon tart and a glass of champagne last night after the show, then went out for breakfast this morning and had pizza tonight. I'm back into my gym workouts tomorrow morning, and am going to reverse out of my contest diet over the next few weeks, adding in more variety. Will still do a couple of high intensity cardio sessions in the gym a week but am looking forward to doing most of my cardio in the form of evening walks with my husband and our dog.

Goals for the off season
1 Keep within 5kg of contest weight (maximum of 56kgs), while aiming to put on more size.
2 Get bodyfat tested regularly to measure my success.
3 Include yoga in my weekly routine.
4 Keep water intake up to 4L a day.
5 Keep waxing up.

Notes for the next show
1 Get routine organised earlier so it's one less thing to worry about as the pressures mount closer to the show.
2 Get entry form in early to get closer to the middle position on stage.
3 Work on my transitions so I can move into my poses easily and fluidly.
4 Practice holding poses for longer periods, especially facing front and relaxed poses - we were on stage a long time while the judges were making up their minds!
5 Think about poses from feet upwards - get the feet and leg positions right then work my way up. I often squeeze my leg muscles as an afterthought.
6 Turn my upper body around more to the front when doing side chest and relaxed poses.
7 Have the day off work on Friday so there's plenty of time to do nails and tan and let them dry. Cover hands and feet with plenty of moisturiser so they don't end up too dark.
8 Put make-up on before I get to the venue so I don't feel under pressure when I'm there. Foundation needs to be lighter, eye make-up stronger.
9 Get a make-up case to put all my bits and pieces in so I don't have to worry about small things going astray when I need them.
10 Take bikini off after prejudging, freshen up and redo tan for night show. Consider getting a second bikini to wear for the night show.
11 Take care when applying bikini bite. Stay inside the lines!
12 Keep up vitamin C supplementation after the show.
13 Take supplements the week after the show to help prevent cramps.
14 Have a break from the weights for a week or two after the show. Calories will still be low so no gains will be made by doing hard workouts in the gym. Still do some exercise every morning, but do something light and fun, like swimming or yoga. That way I will be refreshed when I go back to the gym. Gradually increase number and intensity of workouts as calories increase.