As the weeks start to disintegrate I am aware of my competition at the ESPN
series and Fitness America Pageant, November 30th and December 1st. These
events are just around the bend, or is it the mountain? I am definitely
discovering how valuable each precious gem-minute of the day is! I keep
telling myself, "Focus, focus! Be strict with your diet, get sleep, and make
time to practice." Oh yeah, and then I am abruptly brought back to reality.
I have other responsibilities too?
If you're like me, perhaps you have a difficult time saying "no" when people
ask you for help. So I dedicate and sacrifice some personal time for people,
after all, isn't LIFE the big picture? Who can spend every waking minute in
the gym? We all have lives, goals, and of course, obligations to others. How
can we fit everything into one day?
I am still learning that discipline and maybe a regime like boot camp might
work.
Here is a break down of a "typical" Tiffany week in preparation for
competition:
Sunday:
(This is supposed to be my day off, but it rarely happens. I guess I choose
to stay busy.)
I wake for breakfast and have some eggs with vegetables. I walk or run the
dog, read, grade students' assignments, prepare for the week, write the
deployed military boyfriend, call family, OR I clean the house, mow the
lawn, buy gifts and prepare for a bridal shower for my younger sister (OKAY,
it is not like she gets married every week, but we all have those days where
other people need us.) Lunch might be chicken and vegetables. Dinner could
be a protein shake, celery with a little peanut butter, and fruit (but I
rarely eat that all at once).
Monday:
Wake at 5:45 a.m., pick a body part and do some toning exercises. I might
eat scrumptious carbohydrates today like oatmeal or cold cereal. Dress and
go to school. (When it is warm weather I like to walk to work.) Arrive at
school 7:30 a.m., teach until 3:00 p.m. Lunch could be the salad bar. Call
parents, help students, and wrap up the week's lesson plans. Quickly go tan,
pay bills, run errands and go to the gym, OR stay after school and do
choreography for the school play. Dinner might be dried apricots, apple,
protein bar, or a burrito? Plus, I turn my body into a river by drinking
what seems like gallons of water! Did I mention laundry needed to be done?
Any volunteers? No. So I throw in a few loads while reading or grading some
more.
Tuesday:
Similar to Monday, but add coaching gymnastics on the military base for
three hours (but in reality you're at work for four hours, because parents
have questions or someone just needs a little extra help with a trick),
which is fine, because what goes around comes around! I may work my routine
after practice, swim before practice (if I can leave school punctually) or
bike after coaching.
Wednesday:
Repeat the same regime as Tuesday only with a little less vigor and energy
(the body is running low on fuel). Cardio for this day will probably be
running the dog. He needs me too. Unfortunately, sometimes I consider myself
a poor "dog" parent. To relax, my roommate and I visit.
Thursday:
A similar diet with the rest of the week, but I am probably needing coffee
by now! More toning, just like all the other days, and of course, coaching
after teaching school is on the agenda. Going to bed early might be a
request, but instead, I might e-mail or call other fitness competitors,
friends, or family members.
Friday:
A recovery day! After work, I tan, practice my routine or do rigorous
cardio, prepare my swimsuit or costume for competition, and maybe turn on
the television or read the newspaper, OR helping with wedding decorations,
getting a little sick, picking up mail for the boyfriend, helping the newly
weds move, and cleaning.
Saturday:
Who knows? I never know what Saturday will bring from one weekend to the
next. I just know I look forward to it. I believe it is my time to make sure
I have two swimsuits together, costume, music, hair appointments done,
manicures and nails done, entry form filled out and sent, a portfolio
completed and anticipation strapped down for the time being.
