Wow…..the Arnold!! I don’t even know where to begin! What an amazing life experience for any fitness enthusiast! I’ve never in my life been wrapped up in so much positive energy and been in the company of so many fit and incredible people! It seems like yesterday I was thinking….”This is the biggest fitness show in the world and I get the opportunity to compete in it!”
I must say the journey from January to the moment I stepped on the stage was totally worth it. In 8 short focused weeks, I trained the hardest I have ever trained; sprinting, weights, boxing, power lifting and plyometrics until I could no longer stand, determined to bring my best physique so far. Time literally flew by and before I knew it, I was on a plane bound with my many suitcases and bagged chicken and steak for Columbus Ohio.
After a quick and safe flight and suit cases in tow, I was kindly greeted by Amir Marandi, one of the top photographers in the industry who has shot with fitness stars such as Jamie Eason, Jen Cook and Natalie Hunt, just to name a few. I was so excited to exclusively shoot with Amir before the Arnold had even started. We ended up shooting for 4 hours and wrapped up fairly late around 11pm, man was I so tired but it was totally worth it! I can’t wait to see the photos, he is an absolute genius!
Considering my shoot ran so late, I spent most of Wednesday resting and trying to fend off a nasty throat infection that’s been lingering for many days now. The day seemed to fly by and before I knew it, I woke up and it was show time!
I was not nervous or anxious at all, just excited and ready to hit the stage! My morning started quite glamorously with a Jan Tana airbrush tan. One of the known facts about competing is that you have to be DARK…DARK…DARK…in order to reveal your hard earned muscles. The tan is one of the most important aesthetics a competitor must pay special attention to. Deciding on who does your tan is equally important. They must be familiar with the color required for the stage and they must be experts at applying the product. Jan Tana is the best in the industry and is even used by the cast of Dancing with the Stars! I had the opportunity to meet the one and only Jan Tana, she is one of the sweetest people I have ever met!
Once I was airbrushed, fan dried and re-clothed (not to mention now freezing!!), I made my next stop at hair and make-up. Getting my hair and make up done is one of the most fun parts of getting ready for a show and also one of the most important! Make-up MUST be flawless and hair perfect before hitting the stage. I never trust just anyone and I always hire the best in the business as I do not want my months of dedicated training go to waste because of overall presentation - very important!! I was fortunate to have the beautiful Elaine Goodlad do my make-up. What a beautiful person inside and out! We hit it off right away since we are both Canadians and former farm girls! With in minutes, Elaine transformed me with her amazing creativity….awesome!!!!
Make-up looking perfect, tanned perfectly air brushed and now rocking big Texan hair, I was ready! Now….the wait until stage time. Back stage was pleasantly relaxed and organized. There must have been about a hundred of us back there, primping, teasing, touching up, gluing suits, adding shimmer, posing, practicing, munching on dry rice cakes and of course meeting new friends. It seemed like seconds went by and it was stage time! I took a quite moment with my trainer (the incredible Andre!) pumped up, took a few photos and a quick good luck hug before heading out to the stage.
Wow….it seems like yesterday I was waiting ever so patiently for this moment and here it was! I was visualizing over and over in my mind; walk tall, chest out, swing those hips, shoulders back and SMILE!!!! After months of intense training this was the easy and fun part! As I took the stage, I heard many screaming voices from my friends and family who traveled all the way to Ohio to watch. It felt like a big warm hug and it made me smile even more. I was calm, I took my time, I worked the stage and before I knew it we were done!
Months and months of training, practice and sacrifice go into this sport for only minutes on the stage so it has to be bang on! I felt confident, I came in with my best physique overall and the journey was all worth it. I was up against 100 competitors from all over the world and I was proud to say that I competed at the Arnold Amateur for the first time, that is an experience and goal I have accomplished! Now…the question…. is this my last show? Maybe….I just never say never!
Please take a moment to check out all my photos from the Arnold Amateur Bikini and all my friends from the Expo!
I would also like to thank all my friends who drove to Ohio to cheer me on as well as my husband Brian for all his positive support and love. A huge thanks to my awesome trainer Andre Rzazewski and my marketing mentor Nancy Dinino. As well as Jan Tana for the perfect air brushed tan and Elaine Goodlad for the beautiful make-up. You guys are the best!!!
Remember…If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it. Dreams are so important!
To view more photos please see the gallery section of my new website...
http://karengallagher.ca/gallery.html
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