Competition Day: 1st Place x2

If you follow @thewondervegan on Instagram, then you already know all about competition day! I didn't want to rush posting here and leave anything out.

The Battle at the Border NPC Competition would start at noon. But competitors start their day much earlier than that. Waking up at 6am to start getting ready for a comp is considered sleeping in, and it was much needed extra rest.

By the time this morning comes, you likely already have your first coat of spray tan applied and hair washed. So the morning begins with a flurry of finalizing your spray tan and glamming yourself up with hair and makeup. While competing is in fact about your physical fitness, make no mistake that the "glam" is very important! Don't skimp on making yourself stage-ready...those bright lights are unforgiving.

Post-second coat of spray tan and makeup application

Once you've got your glam, its time to head to the venue and attend any athletes meetings that may be happening.

I arrived at the venue as soon as they opened the doors, around 11 am. I was excited and nervous, mostly that I'd trip in my 6 inch heels and fall flat on my face! Even though this was my 3rd competition, the idea of tripping on stage is always in the back of my mind. 

There was a brief athletes meeting at 11:30, at which time they informed us that the prejudging round would only last an hour tops and would move very quickly. My eyes grew wide in surprise-the other shows I'd participated in had prejudging rounds that lasted hours, with too much time twiddling our thumbs back stage. This meant I had to get my jewelry, bikini and hair all perfect as soon as possible. 

Getting jewelry on before pre-judging

I had just a few minutes to practice some posing, and all of a sudden, they called the bikini athletes to line up... I didn't even have my shoes on yet! That's the thing about competing- no matter how many shows you do, each one will run differently and there will always be aspects of them that you just can't be 100% prepared for. And that's ok!

 Oh yea... it's always a good thing to pump up those muscles before you go on stage. It's also a great time to take a deep breath and focus on the hard work you've done up to this point.

Prejudging felt as if it was over before it even began. If you could've been a fly on the wall in this moment, you would've seen how the adrenaline rush was making my legs have to hold on for dear life to not collapse. It's tough to stand up when your legs won't stop shaking. No matter how prepared you are, being in the moment you've worked so hard on for several months of prep is overwhelming, yet so enjoyable if you let it be!

Before you get to find out how you did, there is a few hour break between prejudging and finals. This feels like the longest wait of your life, wondering what the judges are thinking/saying/debating about.


In the end, this high carbed animal-loving plant-eating vegan took home 1st place novice and 1st place in my bikini open height class!

Tank from www.veganfitnessmodel.com . Crissi Carvalho, creator of said site, is my trainer and often my inspiration for continuing this lifestyle!

I hope this past week of blogging has given you an idea of what competing in NPC bikini competitions can be like and what to expect. I love sharing these experiences to show that not only can you survive on a high carb vegan diet, but you can thrive and build mucle! Please leave any questions in the comments!