Stepping on the Bikini Comp Stage
I am going to tell my story about fitness and getting up on stage for bikini competitions and share some tips to know before you get on that stage. I was never the kid who enjoyed sports growing up. When I turned 18 I bought a gym membership to gold’s and I would go workout daily with my dad. I had hired some personal trainers and that’s where my passion for fitness started. I would see a couple girls there that were so fit and learned that they competed in bikini and figure competitions. I set that as a goal for myself to do at some point in my life. But growing up girls I hung out with had made comments about them hanging out with me because I was ugly and so I made them look hotter. SO my confidence with looks was very low. I never saw myself as the pretty, hot girly girl growing up. Girls were mean! Girls would make fun of how i looked or that i had no boobs, i was given nicknames like cotton balls, cotton swabs, pancakes with raisins. Thankfully I didn’t really care too much and just kept doing my own thing and focused on my own goals.
Fast forward a few years and I started to enjoy hot yoga, spin classes but my passion was benign in the gym lifting weights. It was my hour to myself where I could just focus on myself and let go of the day and any stress I had. I also enjoyed seeing progress of getting stronger and gaining muscle. On and off over time I hired trainers but I always struggled with the nutrition aspect which I now know is so important for progress. I decided that while off on maternity leave I wanted to go back to school and get my personal trainer diploma which I did while raising 2 new little ones. I was told that I wouldn’t have the time to get back in shape or I wouldn’t ever look as good after having kids. That was my motivation to prove to myself and to everyone like screw you i am going to get in the best shape of my life. In 2013 I signed up for a 12 week fitness challenge and then spent the year prepping for my first bikini show. In may of 2014 i competed in 2 bikini competitions and was so proud that i was able to reach a goal from back when i was 18 before having 2 kids.
I took some time off and then decided to compete again in 2016 and said I would never do another one. Well fast forward again to October 2023. I spent 5.5 months preparing for another show after a friend convinced me that I should give it another try. It was some of the hardest yet rewarding moments in my life. During this prep I had to move to a new house, went on a few vacations and I was working shift work along with an extra 40–60 hours of work a month to help pay bills. I also had weeks where i didnt know how i was going to pay for the food i needed or pay for items that were needed on show day like the spray tan, hair and make up,entry fees, the bikini, posing sessions, etc. yet somehow i found ways to make it work and got creative, i had a lovely friend who let me borrow her suit, i borrowed money until paydays from other people and sure they didnt understand like if you can afford other things why are you doing this but they were still supportive and knew it was because i was finally doing something for myself instead of taking care of everyone else. The time was getting closer and it was peak week
I stuck to the plan and on october 28 i competed with the WNBF in bikini debut and novice. Their masters category is 40 plus and because I’m 37 I had to compete in the classes with any age group which is usually 20–20ish year olds. It was a very long day but as the night wrapped up it was time for awards. Debut got called up and I did not place. I came in 7th which seemed to be my placing same in 2016 and 2014. Then it was time for the novice, I ended up placing 3rd! I was in shock, the fact I was older than all the girls on stage and with kids was such a huge accomplishment. I was so proud that I went through the transformation over the 21 weeks and finally did something for myself again. I highly recommend doing a photo shoot after as well to capture the moments of reaching that goal. It’s so empowering to see all the hard work.
So what now? I continue to lift weights, and I go to some fitness classes just to switch things up. I still track my food but allow for more balance of adding in treats but make sure I meet my protein goals. I still drink enough water, take my supplements, get rest, journal, read, meditate, I don’t drink alcohol anymore and I am working on getting a social life back. I am also allowing myself some grace and controlling what I can and not worrying about what I can’t.
Things to know about doing a bikini show
-hire a coach
-its expensive so make sure you have saved the money
-you have to make sacrifices, missing social events, prepping food it’s time consuming
-you may have struggles after the show with food behaviors and reverse dieting
-there will be days when you want to quit or wonder if it’s worth it
-you will feel amazing that you stuck with it and did something for yourself and pushed outside of your comfort zone and know that you can achieve goals even when things get really hard you can overcome the excuses
-you will meet amazing people throughout the process and have people supporting and encouraging you at the same time, it’s great to meet like minded fitness people and know that you did something only a small percentage would even try to do. Please feel free to follow me on instagram @thisismeraw I would love to hear your stories or help support you and answer questions
