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ExtremelyFIT
The
Arnold Festival
2010
By Meegan Cameron
It was less than four weeks until the 2010 Arnold Festival in Columbus, OH.
I had been planning to attend the event for some time since I agreed to
work the booth for PROLAB during the Expo. However, I learned that I was
also invited to participate in the competition. Problem was, by the time I had
received my acceptance letter, it was only four weeks until the actual event,
which didn’t leave me much time to prepare. On average, it takes twelve
weeks of pre-contest dieting and training for a figure competitor to come in
looking conditioned on stage. I had only four weeks and knew that wasn’t
enough time for me to present the best package. This would be my third
year competing and I knew all too well what it takes to get to that level of
conditioning.
I’ve always been a planner and an organizer. I own a goal board if
that puts anything in perspective. My lifelong motto has always
been, “failing to plan is planning to fail,” and it has served me well
throughout the years. Besides, my off-season training was just ending and I had put on a good ten to fifteen pounds since the last time
on stage. I remember the suit being on the small side then, I couldn’t imagine what it was going to look like now. Unfortunately, finding a figure suit is another process all in itself, usually taking six to
eight weeks for a tailored fit and bead placement. For some of us,
it’s also a significant financial investment and choosing something
that will last both the abuse of bikini-bite and the newest fashion
trends is a key motivation in taking one’s time before making a final
decision. Taking everything into consideration, as well as all my
other responsibilities at home and work, I decided that there just
wasn’t enough time to give it one hundred percent and bring my best
to the stage. However, after giving it a day or two, I changed my
mind and decided to do it anyway. Instead of worrying about the
things that I had no control over, I started focusing on what I had
already done. I had just dedicated four months of my time to some
hard and heavy training. I had already made the commitment to
compete several times in 2010, a promise I had made to myself last
year when other priorities came before my own. I had also filled my
head with ideas on how I would represent the fitness industry and
what sort of positive contributions I would make. So the timing was
off for my level of comfort, but the opportunity was there and I wasn’t going to let it pass by.
I went back to my goal board to draw up a “To Do” list for the next
four weeks. I ordered tanning product on-line, scheduled my waxing
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** Meegan placed fourth in class at The Arnold
Festival 2010.
She would like to thank her nutritionist, Tony Harris
(th500@cox.net) and figure suit designer Tamee
Marie (www.tameemarie.webs.com). You can check
out photos of the event at www.meegancameron.com.
Endermologie® is
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for two weeks out pre-contest and took inventory of my stage
make-up and jewelry. I even took my dog for a walk in a pair
of stilettos to make sure I was still capable of walking the stage
in four-inch heels. Almost immediately I consulted my nutritionist to get my diet into pre-contest mode. I use an on-line
service, where I submit weekly photos in exchange for verbal
feedback and an updated diet plan. Next was finding a figure
suit that I could love for the next couple of years. I searched
the web for designers and found a nice variety, but for the
amount of money, nothing knocked my socks off. Finally, after
looking into a friend’s recommendation, I found my designer.
We had a similar style and tastes. She worked with me to create
something that I would have myself if given the blessing of creativity.
After a hectic couple of days, I had successfully devised a plan
to compete at The Arnold Festival and reminded myself that no
matter what the outcome, I had the courage to seize an opportunity that came at an inopportune time. For someone who is partial to having control over life, that sense of freedom was like
food for the soul. The only rules that I broke were my own.
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