Where you’ll find my byline this month (Feb 2013)

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a “where you’ll find my byline this month” post – I tend to mention things as and when they’re published, either on my Facebook or by snapping photos of the pages and Instagramming them (<— latest addiction).

But it's good to round things up once in a while, so here – with my journalist hat on – is the Feb/March 2013 edition of "where you'll find my byline". (It's a lot trickier to do the same for my copywriting work, since some clients don’t want the world to know that it’s me, not them, writing their stuff.)

You’ll find my words in the current issue of:

Bodyfit (page 40-41) – an article on the benefits of swimming, including an interview with ex-GB swimmer Karen Pickering

Careers in Sport (page 23-25) – advice from leading Personal Trainers for those looking for a career in the industry

Muscle and Fitness (page 100-108) – an in-depth profile of Figure Pro athlete Nina Simone Ross

Careers in Sport (page 4-5) – an article on why 2013 is the year to get involved in the sport and leisure industries

And – if they’re still available where you are:
- Women’s Walking issue 1 – a real-life profile of walking and weight-loss
- Alpha Fit issue 6 – a run-down of the essential sports supplements you need in your gym bag.

Coming soon (for my Stateside friends)
A book review in The Washington Post (I’ve no idea what page number as it’s not out til Sunday)

Then there’s also the new Muscle and Fitness books – my words are in the sports supplements one, and my photos are in the HIIT one.

Where you’ll find my byline this month is a post from the Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

Nicola Joyce writes for Muscle & Fitness books

A nice end to the week (to match the nice beginning!) My work is going to be featured in a book.

With my journalism hat on, I often write for Muscle & Fitness magazine. In fact, if you get the issue which is out at the moment, you’ll see my interview with Bronwyn Taylor – “Britain’s Strongest Schoolgirl”.

So I’m delighted to be able to tell you that my work is going to be featured in one of three books produced by the Muscle & Fitness team: Muscle and Fitness guide to Sports Nutrition.

I’ll actually be in another of the three, but not my words. Remember when I did that photoshoot with Shaun Stafford, to illustrate a strength and conditioning feature I wrote for the magazine? Well, some of the photos from the shoot have been selected for the Muscle and Fitness guide to HIIT!

The three books – “High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)”, “Sports Nutrition”, and “Weight Training Success” are all part of the “Muscle & Fitness Guide to…” series.

I’d love you to pick up a copy of the books, and there are various ways to do so

The first two will be on sale in print in the UK on 10 January 2013 and the third will follow on, going on sale on 14 March 2013. You’ll be able to get all three printed books at WH Smith and Sainsburys, or via Muscle & Fitness’s website.

The app for the digital editions is available in iTunes and Google Play – just type “Muscle and Fitness Books” into the search screen and you’ll see the blue M&F Books App logo (or you can go to it via the link on Muscle & Fitness books). The app is free to download. Once you’ve downloaded it, you’ll see six more icons: a free sample of each book and the full version for sale.

You can even get the three books as e-books, readable on any Windows or Apple desktop/laptop computer and iPad. You can get that version here. They’re encrypted, and you’ll need to download Javelin Reader but it’s all very simple and straightforward (I managed it, so it must be!)

Enjoy!

Nicola Joyce writes for Muscle & Fitness books is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

The Games are coming…

On my way home from the gym (which is in Windsor) today, I noticed how many little details have sprung up around the London 2012 Olympic Games. Here are some photos from my journey home….

The Games are nearly here!

I wonder what snapshots of “journeys home from the gym” would look like for people actually living in London? (I’m about 20 miles West – near Dorney, where the rowing, canoe and kayak, and paralympic rowing will be held).

Do you live near an Olympic venue? What Olympic-sights can you see from your home, gym or office?

The Games are coming… is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

Joining the Fitness Writers’ Association

Last night, I was at the launch of the Fitness Writers’ Association, a new industry membership group here in the UK which aims to unify the communications arm of the fitness industry, bringing together those of us who write about it and those of them who supply it, lobby for it, train people in it and otherwise contribute to the products, services, ideas, campaigns and trends which make up the sport and fitness industry.

What a great idea! I don’t quite know why nobody’s thought to put something like this together for us before now (similar things exist for the health industry, for example). Three cheers for the lovely Cheryl at Action PR and Fiona at The Running Bug (and a few other hard-working ladies) for coming up with the idea and driving it forward. The result of their efforts was unveiled last night, at the rather swish Dolphin Club in London.

We were treated to canapes and champagne (of which I had none being 7 weeks out from my comp ) before the first of the speakers took to the floor. Fiona and Cheryl introduced the Fitness Writers’ Association, explaining why it had come about, why it’s needed and what it will develop into (events, education, training, contacts, a network of experts us writers can go to for information/ideas/leads/comment, as well as fantastic links with the FIA).

Then we heard from the Dolphin Square Fitness Club, who gave a thought-provoking talk about the legacy the 2012 Games will leave behind… and why it might not have the impact we’d like to think it will. Is the Olympics actually inspiring us to become fitter? Do the Games significantly encourage uptake in sport? What social/cultural shifts do we need to see in Britain to turn us from a nation of spectators (bums on seats) to participators (bums off seats!) The emphasis was on how we, as the writers serving the sport and fitness sector, can help make the legacy of the Games a lasting and positive one.

Then David Stalker, CEO of the Fitness Industry Association, talked about how we absolutely must link this fantastic opportunity – our Olympic Games – with much wider health and fitness goals and programmes in this country. The time is now, he said. We have to get it right. Dave is a passionate speaker and advocate of getting the entire population healthier through activity, exercise and fitness. He and the FIA have strong, respected links with Government, Public Affairs and Policy, huge corporates, the medical industry and the education sector. I have heard him speak in small settings like this many times now and, each time, I feel very honoured: this is a man who has direct links into, and is helping to drive, some of the most important health/wellness/fitness campaigns in Britain and here he is sharing it with us. Thank you David.

Lastly Dr Jess Leitch of Run3D in Oxford talked to us about the latest in high tech gait analysis and how this is helping our Olympic athletes – and those of the future – train, compete and continue on with their sport with as little injury as possible.

Then it was time to chat with the other writers, Editors, freelancers and inhouse people who’d been invited to this inaugural FWA event. I decided I definitely wanted to join – I get asked to join quite a lot of networking things, memberships groups and industry bodies, but the FWA is the only one of its kind and I think it will be very important to our industry.

Thank you to Cheryl and Fiona for organising, to Ruth, Dawn and all the others who helped make the night a success, and to Richard, Mark, David and Jessica for speaking.

You can follow the Fitness Writers’ Association on Facebook and contact join@fitnesswritersassociation.com if you’d like to ask about joining.

Joining the Fitness Writers’ Association is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

Byline in The Washington Post (and “Swim: Why We Love The Water” giveaway)

I don’t just train. I do a bit of work, too I work as a freelance writer, doing both editorial work (features in consumer magazines, mostly, but some trade/industry publications, too) and commercial work as a copywriter (content for B2B clients, B2C clients and agencies).

I don’t often blog about work (I probably should do so more often), in fact there are only a handful of work-related posts on this blog:

- Where you could have found my byline back in May 2010
- How to engage with fitness journalists and bloggers
- How I became a freelance writer (and other FAQs)
- More bylines
- My favourite commissions (at that point!)
- A few fitness copywriting examples
- And a few more here.
- The importance of quality content for fitness professionals

You can also check out some of my clients on my Pinterest board “my lovely clients” (cos they are all lovely – one of the benefits of being freelance is that you don’t have to work with the non-lovely ones).

On the whole, I am excited by everything I write. Every new commission still gives me a thrill, even after eight years. However, this one’s a bit special and I’d really like to shout about it. Indulge me, please. I promise we’ll be back to photos of my weightlifting belt and reviews of protein powders soon

In March, I was contacted by someone who purported to be a commissioning Editor at The Washington Post. Yeah right, I thought. Ha ha! But… it’s not quite 1st April. So maybe this isn’t an April Fool. Sure enough, it was real. The Washington Post had been looking for a book reviewer for the book “Swim: Why We Love The Water” and had found me. (For those of you who have only known me, or this blog, since I took up bodybuilding, you need to know that I come from a swimming background and have swum the English Channel twice). The Editor had read a few of my articles, blog posts and online features about swimming and decided to approach me.

I was very excited. I mean, come on. The Washington Post?

The review came out and is still online here.

Would you like to win a copy of Lynn Sherr’s book, “Swim: Why We Love The Water”? Because you can. I have a spare copy here (not the review copy with my bits of paper stuck all over it).

To win, please:
1) “Like” “Swim: Why We Love The Water” Facebook page
2) Tweet a link to this blog post, including my Twitter name (@thefitwriter) and Lynn’s (@LynnSherr) and include the hashtag #SWIM in your Tweet
3) Come and leave a comment on this blog post to let me know you’ve done those two things… and then tell me your most memorable swimming experience. I’d love to hear about it, no matter where or when it was. Pool, sea, lake or lido… tell me

Byline in The Washington Post (and “Swim: Why We Love The Water” giveaway) is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

Random musings, 48 hours out

Less than 48 hours til the NPA Final. In fact, in 48 hours, I predict I’ll be all done and sitting in the audience cheering on the rest of the competitors. Whilst eating —insert current craving here— (today: corned beef sandwiches. Yes, really.)

As I mentioned earlier in the week, Friday of peak week is usually my favourite day. Of peak week. Perhaps of prep as a whole? Why? It’s restful, relaxing, time to reflect.

I don’t train. Carbs are back in my world. I usually take the day off work and, after walking the dog and prepping vast amounts of sweet potatoes and fish for the following 48 hours (I don’t fancy firing up the oven every time I need a serving of potato…), I just chill.

I wander into town. I buy the things I’ve been drooling over for months, knowing I’ll be eating them in 48 hours. I sit in a squishy chair in a coffee shop and read, or journal, or watch the world go by.

Today’s musings, on (almost) the eve of my fourth and final comp of the year, and (almost) the end of my 2011 competitive season. In no particular order.

What have I done?!
Whatever the result on Sunday, I have already achieved far more than I set out to and far more than I expected to. More, too, than I thought I was capable of in my first year of competing. I thought I’d only do one comp. Then I realised there were two associations, so I thought I’d do two. Never in a million years did I think I’d reach one let alone two Finals. As it turns out, all these months later, being a British Finalist twice over in my first year is what I’ve achieved.

Progress… step by step, rep by rep
Every competition I do means I’ve taken myself to a new level. Even if I come dead last on Sunday, it’s not dead last to me. It’s further than I was before. Any placing in a Final is a step onwards, because it’s a reflection of more hard work, more training, more dieting, more prep.

A year-long experiment (ongoing!)
This entire year has been an experiment. A guessing-game much of the time. A collection of research, ideas, plans and fine-tunings. It’s been absolutely fascinating and I’ve learned so much, about nutrition and training, about my body and my mind, about the limits I can take myself to and how much I can achieve. The competitions – those brief moments on stage – are really a very small part of it all. The most exciting part, for sure, and the part involving the sparkliest bikini! But just the tip of the iceberg. Most of it is stuff only I really know, and most of it is stuff I can’t even articulate or reflect upon yet.

“That’ll do, Pig”
I am proud. Not prideful, but extremely proud of myself. There, I’ve said it. I don’t often (if ever!) give myself credit or simply say “well done. You did great.” But I did. We’re not even there yet, but I hereby pat myself on the back and say “well done, you did great.” Don’t misunderstand me, my prep has been far from perfect. But I’m proud of how far I’ve come, what I’ve learned and how I’ve applied it.

Marbles? Check!
I’m proud, too, of the fact that I’ve gone through almost a year of prep without letting it send me insane. Those of you out there who have competed, you know how hard it is. The rest of you have some idea. It’s very easy to let prep – particularly the diet side of things – mess with your mind. I promised myself very early on I would not let this happen. Life’s too short, health is too precious. The moment it stopped becoming fun, I’d stop (believe me I came very close, on more than one occasion!)

So, for that reason, I’m proud of the fact that I’ve slipped up on my diet, given into cravings and eaten well outside my plan on some days. I’ve always been honest with myself and with my coach. I’ve never been ashamed, guilty, or dashed out to do extra cardio. I’m proud that I think I know myself and my body well enough to know when to say “shut up and eat the broccoli” and when to say “you’re right. Let’s have a bowl of that.” I’d rather get on stage 90% in shape physically and 100% in shape mentally, than 100% “shredded” if that means shredding my mind as well as my body. After all, time on stage is very short. Time at home, at work and being happy in my own self represents a far bigger portion of my life. In short, I’m proud of the fact that I’ve got through a long and tough prep, being strict enough to get great results without sending myself mad. I’m happy. That’s the main thing, and the thing which will still matter on Monday, trophy or no trophy.

I’m sure there was more I had to say, but that’s probably enough. To end on a lighter note, I must now go and scrub myself all over and get busy with a disposable razor. Tanning starts soon!

Random musings, 48 hours out is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

3 sleeps! (Or, how you know it’s nearly showtime)

Well, hello! This post is brought to you by carbohydrates. Life is good.

So, just three days to go til the NPA Final. I’m feeling good, on track and – most importantly – EXCITED! I just can not wait. It’s going to be such fun and I can’t wait to get on that stage, pose for the audience, give my supporters something to cheer for and have a ball!

I’ve now done my final gym session, and everything is “the last” this and “the last” that. We are definitely on countdown to showtime. I thought I’d walk you through a few things I see during my day which really bring that home to me:

Recycling bin – the result of peak week – many, many water bottles and an empty bottle of fish oil. (Next week I predict this bin will look somewhat different )

Wedding and engagement rings firmly on my hand, rather than in a “very memorable” (yeah right) place around the house. I don’t wear them when I lift weights, because I don’t want to scratch them any more than I already have (and they give me worse callouses than I already have). Recently, I’ve barely worn them. (Please excuse the Raynaud’s)

Bannisters. Empty! What’s usually there? My gym back, loaded and ready to go at all times. It is now upstairs.

I’ve been doing lots of posing practice, and so has thefitdog. He can only really do a front doggle bicep, and even that needs… some work.

Yesterday on Twitter I mentioned an “11/11/11″ treadmill interval session I do, courtesy of Ben the PT. To explain: after you’ve warmed up (I walk fast on the steepest incline), turn the treadmill up to 11% incline and 11kph. Then do the following for 11 minutes:
15 seconds run
15 seconds where you straddle the treadmill and rest (this takes some practice but if I can do it, you can. I’m a complete klutz)
repeat until 11 mins are up
Then cool down (again, I walk at about 5kph and 15% incline).

Ben says you can do 12/12/12 and he’s even had someone do 14/14/14. Good for them. Perhaps their legs are longer than mine.

So, that’s more or less it. I waved bye-bye to the gym today

(Or was it….)

Tomorrow I’ll walk, rest, eat more carbs, pop into town for a wander about, pose and practice my routine.

Saturday is much of the same, without the town bit and with extra Sister. Yep, my Sister is coming up for the weekend and I can’t wait!

3 sleeps! (Or, how you know it’s nearly showtime) is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

Final peak week for the final Final (finally!)

Hello!

Well here we are in “peak week” - the final week of contest prep. This time next week we’ll be partway through the NPA Final and the season will be almost over.

I don’t have a lot to update you with… I’m approaching peak week the same way I have for all my other comps so far this year: carb deplete followed by a carb-up, water manipulation and lots of chilling out (hopefully!)

I won’t lie, I feel pretty rubbish, which is probably a “good” sign in that it shows my body is responding to those final dietary tweaks. It’s been a long season, particularly for someone who thought they’d do one show and that would be it! I can’t believe here we are in October and I’m still prepping and dieting!

I’m training up until Thursday. Friday will be my traditional “wander into town, buy treats to eat after the show, sit in a cafe nursing a hot drink and journalling in my training diary”. I’m looking forward to it already.

How am I feeling?
I never really know how to answer this question but, this time round, I’m finding it even harder. I just don’t know what to expect from Sunday’s show, I’m finding it increasingly more difficult to tell whether or not I’m looking as I should a week out, and I’m just tired. I know this week will change all that: I’ve got the week off work, so the pressure will be lifted and I’ll have time to reflect on the season, start imagining the show and really get excited. I know, too, that this week will bring about daily changes in my body, visual rewards which will spur me on and give me an extra spark of motivation. I’ve got a great support crew coming to Bedworth: my Mum and her husband, my sister and of course my husband. It will be a fun-filled, happy occasion and I can’t wait to step on stage again.

Knowing it will be the final time this year makes it even more special. I still can not believe I made it to not one but two British Finals in my first year of competing. The line-up for my category is immense, packed full of top-quality women who epitomise the highest level of natural bodybuilding. Just to stand on stage with them is a massive achievement for me. Every time I look at the list, I feel like a very small minnow swimming with big fish! (I was going to say sharks but they’re all very nice people!)

Then there are my feelings about the end of prep and transition into off-season. I’m torn. Prep is and has been hard, very very hard. Harder than I ever thought it would be and – I honestly think – the hardest thing I’ve done in sport (this from someone who’s swum the English Channel twice). It’s hard on your body, it’s hard on your mind. It’s hard on those around you (thank you, you know who you are…) It’s hard on relationships, work, sleep, social life. It really does affect everything. Bodybuilding prep is there 24/7. It’s not like any other sport I know.

So, for that and lots of other reasons, I am looking forward to prep being over. I have a list of things I want to eat (if I write them down, I don’t obsess about them any more), although I’m sure I’ll only eat a few of them (Pop Tarts? Why do I want Pop Tarts? I’m pretty sure I’ve never even eaten one.) I want to catch up on my social life, I want to go out to eat with my husband. I want to bake, and cook, and eat with family and friends. I want to give my body a break and make some changes in training.

But, I know myself well enough to know that I’ll miss prep in a way. I’ll miss the routine, I’ll miss the organisational side of it and, of course, I’ll miss the results. It would be great to be able to stay in contest shape year-round, but of course it’s not sustainable (and hardly healthy). Have my cake and eat it, too? At this stage, I’ll settle just for eating it.

After my bodybuilding Q&A post, a couple more questions came in – thank you! Here are my answers:

“How does your stomach react to the bodybuilding diet, with high protein, veggies, etc? Have you noticed any increased gas, bloating, constipation, etc? I hear the diet can be tough on your GI system.”

Hm, I don’t know! I’ve been eating this way for a year now, and on an actual prep/cutting diet for much of that. I don’t think I’ve reacted badly to it, although there are too many variables to be able to say. I do get a bit of bloating if I have too much protein powder (particularly whey) but I don’t think it’s the protein which bloats me, as I don’t get it from fish and meat. Sorry – what a useless answer! One thing I can tell you is that I feel great on this kind of eating – lots of fresh veggies (raw, stir fried, baked, roasted) and salads, a massive range of meats and fish. If I eat meat/fish and veg for breakfast, I feel great for the rest of the day. (Someone remind me of this next week…!)

“What tips would you give to someone competing for the first time?”

I would say ask someone a lot more experienced than me! Seriously, I could not and would not have got to this stage had it not been for my coach Kat Millar and various other kind souls who have helped me, advised me, given me feedback and taught me so much. Annie Uelese, I’m looking at you! So my advice would probably be something like:

- ask yourself why you want to do it? Because it’s going to get tough and you’ll need a reason which resonates with you.
- set yourself some rules. Someone outside the sport suggested this to me and it is very wise. Whether that’s “stay natural”, or whether that’s “don’t take my calories below 1600 a day” or “don’t do two cardio sessions a day”. Whatever is important to you, make the rules, write them somewhere and stick to them.
- find a coach, ideally someone who has competed and who knows the association/federation you’ll be competing with, so they’ll have some idea of what’s what, what the judges are likely to want from you, and little things like how the shows are run, how long your routine should be etc. You can find all that out yourself but when you first get into prep it’s just overwhelming. Having someone you can just ask if so comforting.
- get a great support system around you. My husband should probably be knighted or sainted (although I think he has to be dead for the latter so let’s say knighted!). Being the partner of a prepping bodybuilder is probably worse than being the athlete. I can’t imagine what prep must be like if you have no support or, worse, people around you who are negative about it.
- get a plan in place: identify a show to enter, count backwards, mark the weeks on your kitchen calendar and get going!

Final peak week for the final Final (finally!) is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

thefitwriter on BBC Radio 4

Hi all! Just a very quick one – remember when I was interviewed by the BBC about triathlon, whilst coaching open-water swimming down at Dorney?

The interview finally aired last night as part of BBC Radio 4′s World Tonight show. You can listen again here I believe. (Tuesday 16th August) I think it’s towards the end of the programme – I haven’t had a chance to listen yet myself!

Here’s the relevant section of the show

Download: ?mode=viewupload&id=9997435

thefitwriter on BBC Radio 4 is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

Last-minute thoughts, stats and a packing list for female bodybuilders

Morning everyone! One day to go…

I’ve just had an espresso so bear with me if this post is a bit frenetic and over-emotional. To say that the last few days have been up and down is an understatement. Here’s a recent selection from the rollercoaster:

Emotional ups and downs from peak week

- Tuesday (during my carb-deplete), I had a lovely day. But by the evening I was so exhausted, I’d had enough and – despite being just five days away from comp and two days away from carbs – I was honestly ready to jack it all in. I mean it. I was ready to cancel our travel plans, call it all off and just not turn up at the show. As my training diary notes: “Stupid sport, stupid posing, bloody diet, f***** water, ridiculous prep. Feeling really lonely/alone in all of this even though Mark, Kat, everyone so supportive and always there.”

After training in the evening, I still had to do posing practice. Just the thought of it almost reduced me to tears. I came home and put my dinner in the oven and posed in the kitchen, so I would be nearer my dinner, despite the fact that the rest of the house is about 60 seconds further away from the oven…

- Thursday (final day of carb-deplete) I drove to Kent to watch my l’il sister in a play. Yes, I know, bad move, but we are very close and it was important to me to see her. But in hindsight – sorry Sista – I will never ever do something like that again so close to competition date. The M25 was horrendous and an 80-minute drive took me over 3 hours. I had a bursting bladder from all the water I’d been drinking, and was on low-carbs. Not nice. I felt like hell by the time I got there. Thank goodness the M25 was clear on the way back! (American readers, the M25 is one of our motorways, notorious for being more like a carpark than an actual road you can move along…)

- Yesterday, I was home alone (no dog, no husband – he’s also in Wales this weekend but doing a three-day mountain biking event for his own training. He’ll be there for my comp!) I swung between napping on the sofa under a blanket with Wimbledon in the background, feeling blissed-out, and struggling with self-doubt, fear, anxiety and what-ifs.

I texted Kat whilst I was buying last-minute items in town and she texted back mentioning “…train as hard as you can today…” We’d planned a rest day, and I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. I honestly felt defeated for the first time in this prep. I struggled not to cry right there in the High Street and walked home muttering “No! I won’t do it! I hate you!” (sorry, Kat! ha ha!) Coming from the sport of channel swimming, I am used to coaches throwing last-minute challenges like this at you, so I thought this was part of my mental prep. Turns out we’d both got crossed wires and it was a (hideous short-lived!) mistake. I didn’t have to train at all. Back to feeling blissed-out!

Body changes one day out

OK I hesitate to post this next bit but I’ve decided I will anyway. I woke up this morning and could see lines/striations in my glutes (bum cheeks) without flexing or holding a pose. This is insane. I know very well that it’s almost all to do with the carb and water manipulation of these past couple of days but… still… it’s nuts.

And my abs have started to “pop” (so has my hernia by the looks of it – yuk!)

I know this is just a temporary look, by the way. I am fully aware that by Monday – Sunday night, even – I won’t look like this. It’s not sustainable, and I don’t honestly want to sustain this level of leanness. But… it’s pretty nuts.

Stats and figures from throughout prep

Back when I started blogging about this prep, I said I would never post figures about my weight or fat % and I hold true to that. I just don’t see how it could be constructive but I do see how it could be potentially negative to some readers. But I have had a lot of questions regarding the facts and figures of my body’s changes. And I do think that, taken as a set of completely emotionless data points, it is interesting. So here are the stats, from 15 weeks ago to most recent:

Weight – down 6kgs
Fat % – down 9%
Lean weight – up 1.3kgs
Fat weight – down 5.5kgs

The weight is from this morning, the rest are from Wednesday of this week (when I weighed 0.9kg more – see, told you it’s mostly about carb/water manipulation!) so the fat/lean stats relate to the higher weight. I registered as 70% water during the body fat test, which was taken by bioimpedance machine – the type where the electrodes are stuck to your hands and feet. It was done by a friend of mine who’s done the same test on me periodically throughout prep.

I know these tests aren’t completely accurate and I’ve never thought the actual numbers were, but what I have always been interested in is the gains and losses themselves. I only ever wanted to see losses in fat and gains in lean as we went along and (barring this final few weeks when it said I’d lost 0.2kgs lean mass in a month), that’s what’s happened. Which I am delighted about!

Competition packing list for female bodybuilding competitors

OK one more thing before I turn this machine off and start packing. A packing list for female bodybuilding/physique competitors! I love a good list, me. I cobbled this one together from notes Kat gave me and my own modifications. I’m hoping someone out there might find it useful at some point!

Cash, wallet
Phone, flip cam, chargers
Federation membership card
Robe (I bought a cheap one from Peacocks so I don’t mind when it gets tan all over it)
Flipflops
Warm clothes including hooded top
Clothes for afterwards/travelling in
Pyjamas or shorts and t-shirt for sleeping in
Old sheet or duvet cover to sleep in (tan!)
Tanning stuff
Latex gloves for tanning touch ups
Mirror
Binbags
Dry mouth spray
Glasses, contact lenses
Toothbrush and paste, glasses, contact lenses
Nail file
Make up
Hair stuff – brush, comb, bands, grips, hairspray
Straighteners or hair dryer
Wet wipes
Bikinis
Sewing kit and pins, scissors
Bikini bite (glue)
CD of posing music x 2
Towel
Food/supplements
Warm up equipment – resistance band
Straws
Paper cups
Pen and paper
Something light to read whilst waiting backstage
Thank you cards/pressies for supporters
=

With that, I’m off. Well, not off, just offline for a bit. In a few hours, my coach Kat, friend and supporter Annie Uelese and my wonderful Mum (she needs a blog name – thefitMum?) will be here. I’ll put my first coat of tan on then we’ll drive to Wales and check in to our hotel where we’re going to have a good old girly evening of chit-chat, giggles and DVDs. One of us will be the colour of creosote, that’s all.

Thank you all for your support, tweets, facebook messages, emails and texts. I am so glad you’ve enjoyed following my story and I hope to do you all proud tomorrow.

Stay tuned to twitter to read updates! If you have any questions, do tweet them and I’ll reply.

Last-minute thoughts, stats and a packing list for female bodybuilders is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.