Good Distractions

Distractions come in all shapes, sizes, colours, and disguises. And they've tried to trip me up these last few weeks ... attempted to blur my focus towards my fitness goals. Many might think distractions like pizza, chocolate cake, and red wine ... a.k.a BAD distractions ... are the most difficult to handle. I disagree. I believe GOOD distractions are more of a challenge and they almost got me off my game. But I was able to deal with those distractions ... so far.

Here are a couple of my GOOD distractions that took me slightly off track of my fitness goals ... and how I dealt with them.

BANFF GETAWAY
I've been told by countless people that I need to take a break. Getaway and do nothing. So I did last weekend. I went to Banff. Beautiful Banff! Solo. I brought work ... writing, studying, reading. But I ended up not doing any of it. None at all. Stayed up late Friday night. Had a couple glasses of wine. Slept in Saturday morning. Ate bread at lunch. Had caramel and chocolate for dessert. Napped for several hours. Went to the spa. Had more wine and bread with dinner. Sunday morning breakfast I had more bread and even some cheese. Guilty? A bit. But doing and eating whatever I want for a couple days = freedom! Living in the moment. A GOOD distraction! But of course all good things must come to an end (usually they're replaced by better things anyway!!!). This GOOD distraction was easy to deal with. I left Banff ... hahaha ... plus I was so "traumatized" from indulging (and my food belly) that I got back on track once I got home with clean eats and hard training!

GETTING CERTIFIED
It takes more than a one-day workshop to teach Get RIPPED Fitness classes. So far, I've done 2 full weekend courses plus a few team teaching sessions ... and that's barely the tip of the iceberg to get fully certified. I still have an anatomy exam to do, plus a practicum exam to present. So I've had to put aside time to study/prepare for both. While it doesn't really cut into my training time it has taken me away from my sessions with my trainer Nathan at the Hour of Honour. Those sessions keep me focused and totally on my game by shocking my body ... an honourable ass-kicking! It's scary but I L.O.V.E. it! Yes, I train hard in the gym but it's never as hellish as with Nathan. But this certification process is a GOOD distraction because it's part of a bigger goal/dream of mine. It's a GOOD distraction because I get a rush from teaching. Big smiles and great energy! But I can deal with this GOOD distraction too because once both exams are done I can focus on getting as much team teaching in as possible and use those classes as part of my training regime and still have time for my honourable ass-kicking ... YES!

So those are just two of the many other GOOD distractions in my life. And I embrace them all! GOOD distractions remind me that I'm alive and that I have choices. How can that be bad? It's ALL GOOD!

At a Loss for Words

It seems like forever since I've dropped a blog on y'all. I guess it's because I'm at a loss for words these days. Can you believe it? Cara ... speechless? It happens. So why is my mouth open and nothing coming out? Maybe because I can't believe some of the opportunities coming my way. I now have more chances to team teach with yet another Get Ripped instructor besides the creator, Jari Love. So cool! And it's getting better and better every time.

I guess I shouldn't really be totally surprised because I actually created this opportunity. In fact, I created it by talking ... which is why being at a loss for words is kind of ironic. It was as simple as sharing my dream/passion with the right person ... at the right time. I wasn't always conscious of what I was doing and how it would turn out but it's all coming together. Let me explain.

Rewind a few years ago. I interviewed Jari Love for a story I was doing at work about sticking to your new year's resolutions. At that time I mentioned to her I had an interest in dipping into the fitness industry but I didn't really know what I wanted to do. That's when I first found out about the Get Ripped certification course. Unfortunately, I wasn't available to take it then. Fast forward to this past August. I was ready for the course! I contacted Jari for more information and talk about good timing ... I got the opportunity to be in two of her workout DVDs ... plus I'm currently getting certified to teach Ripped ... plus I'm getting lots of opportunities to teach parts of her classes. All of this because I shared my dream/passion with her.

Then there was last week when I had my first article in the Calgary Herald's Real Life section. It was about Brandi Miskow, a very inspirational woman who didn't let brain surgery stop her from pursuing her own fitness dreams. Since I started competing and taking control of my health I've met so many people, like Brandi, who have inspired me along the way. I wanted to share those stories. And I just happened to tell a former Calgary Herald reporter about this and she suggested I pitch the idea to the Real Life editor. Well, the editor liked the idea and the rest is history. Stay tuned for more stories of people who have made an impact through living and promoting healthy lifestyles ... body, mind, and spirit.

So where will this take me? I don't know yet. But you can bet I'll be talking a lot more to help make my dreams come true!

Butterflies in my stomach!

It was sort of like a first date with that someone special. Every time I thought about it, I got butterflies in my stomach. Today I had my "first date" with teaching a Get RIPPED class! Some of you may know that I am in the process of getting certified to teach these classes. But I never thought I'd be in front of a room full of people taking them through a leg workout so soon! Jari Love herself ... the creator of the Get RIPPED workouts ... was the one who basically said let's get you teaching sooner, rather than later! So we had a very short practice on Tuesday and she invited me to teach a portion of the class Thursday. Of course I'm not going to say no. If she offered this opportunity, she must think I can do it. I can't tell you how much it meant to me to have Jari take me under her wing, so to speak, and encourage me to just go for it. She believes in my abilities and knows I'm passionate about spreading the gospel of fitness and a healthy lifestyle. Talk about a major confidence boost for me! So Thursday came and so did the butterflies.The butterflies were accompanied by internal smiles and feelings of excitement. Yes, I was totally nervous ... nervous because I wanted to do a great job. Yes, I was extremely excited ... excited because I knew I would rock it! Despite being very nervous, I knew deep down inside I was going to do well. And Jari was right beside me just in case I needed her help. A couple times I forgot what count I was on, but she got me back on track. I forgot to switch feet on another exercise, but I realized half way through and was able to joke about it and continue on. I felt natural up there doing my thing. And with more practice I know I'll develop my OWN style. The best part of the whole thing (besides wearing the Janet Jackson microphone!) I was smiling most of the way through. I was having FUN! And I really hope the rest of the class was too. Big THANKS to the people who came up to me after the class to say I did a good job. And the BIGGEST thanks goes to Jari for believing in me ... and inviting me back on another "date" in her Get RIPPED classes this weekend! Looks like Cara the caterpillar is slowly, but surely evolving into a beautiful butterfly.

Blurry

I kind of feel like I let myself go this past weekend. I feel like I lost focus. Blurry. But it was so worth it. And like typical Cara, I'm sure I'm being too hard on myself. Let me explain. The plan was to get right back on track after filming the Get RIPPED workout videos. After all, Superwoman has some super fitness goals to fulfill. Superwoman thinks long breaks are for wimps! Like my trainer says ... there's no such thing as an off-season. I took last Monday off of my clean eating plan and ate whatever I wanted. Tuesday I cooked and prepped my meals as I had been doing for months before. I planned where/when I'd be training that week. I was ready to go. So why was I "cheating" ... snacking ... eating more than usual? I have goals damn it! That's what always keeps me motivated ... right?

Fast forward to the weekend: dinner out with dessert on Friday night, big brunch on Saturday morning, red wine on Saturday night. And I loved every minute of it! (By the way, even though I had a few indulgences ... I still worked out!) Yes there was (is) guilt but the indulging came with connections. I was connecting with friends I hadn't seen in a long time. We were talking, laughing, sharing the ups and downs of our lives from the past several months. It's something that, unfortunately, I CHOSE to put on the back burner as I trained for the workout videos. (Notice I used the word CHOSE.) So that makes me question my priorities ... my choices ... my sacrifices. Extreme healthy lifestyle VS. Socializing with friends, food, and drink. Can I do it all or do I have to choose one or the other? It seems like a constant struggle for balance. But I'm determined to figure out what works for me so that I CAN do it all. My relationships are too precious to me. My healthy lifestyle makes me feel awesome. Reaching my fitness goals brings me joy ... pure joy. So I'm just going to make it work. My connections/relationships are just too good to put on hold. So it's time to look at my goals ... make some adjustments ... and get focused ... again.

I admit I'm a gym snob

When I workout out, especially after a stressful day, I need to get IN THE ZONE. So I need to be sweating it out in a gym that gets me going. But not all gyms are created equally. I admit, I'm a gym snob. And by gym snob I mean, I'm very particular about where I workout. That's probably why I have 4 memberships ... two full and two partial. But I have an explanation for every one of them.

One of my full memberships is for Good Life. The location I was going to just didn't do it for me. Maybe it wasn't hardcore enough for me. I think it was the incline benches that weren't adjustable that put me off. That's so annoying. I moved and started going to another location which was women's only. Yeah well here's where another confession comes in: I like to see MEN (aka eye candy) in the gym. It helps to motivate me ... for obvious reasons. Do I really need to explain this one? Hahaha! Not only was it just for chicks ... it was in a Superstore above the cooked food section and I could smell the grease while I trained. I'm not dissing Good Life ... it's just that the locations I went to didn't get me all fired up.

So that brings me to my second full membership. I decided to go back to one of my favorite Calgary gyms, World Health Club. I love working out there! They have great equipment, lots of locations, newly renovated change rooms, and there were a lot of people there who trained hard. So I bought another membership and started working out at the Edgemont location. I didn't care that I was paying for two memberships and only going to one gym. Then I moved again and I'm lucky enough to live walking distance to a World Health Club. It was meant to be!

I know what you're thinking. "So if this was a match made in heaven, why the other two partial memberships?" I also train at the Athlete Factory on Blackfoot Trail because that's where my trainer kicks my butt. It's an awesome gym and is true to its name. It pumps out athletes. I highly recommend you check it out (www.athletefactory.net). I also got a partial membership at Fitness Plus where they teach Get RIPPED classes. I'm in the process of getting certified to teach the Get RIPPED classes so it's a good way to practice.

So having all these memberships is keeping me interested because I get bored easily. And they're keeping my body guessing because I need new physical challenges to reach my fitness goals. It's all good ... and it's fun!

Why am I doing this?

In the throes of the Hour of Honour I often ask myself "Why am I doing this? Why am I sprinting until I can barely breathe, squatting until my quads feel like they're on fire, doing burpees until I want to puke, cleaning and pressing until my whole body shakes. Why?! WHY??!!" I'll tell you why. As many of you know I was fortunate enough to be chosen to be in a couple of Get RIPPED workout videos with Jari Love (www.jarilove.com). We just filmed this weekend and it was an awesome, amazing experience. It took a lot of preparation for me to not only keep up with the other Get RIPPED crew members, but to look fit and lean like them as well. That's where the strict dieting and hard training from the Hour of Honour came in. Then there were the other sacrifices like not going out for dinner and drinks, spending Sundays cooking for the week, passing on all the treats brought into the office at work ... I could go on. Many would say that I'm not "living" or I'm not having fun. I'd say it's quite the opposite. Even though the 2-hour Get RIPPED practices would end an hour before my bedtime and I would still have to drive home and eat ... I loved every minute of it. Even though at Hour of Honour I'd have to dig in because I already did an hour of cardio earlier that day ... I wouldn't have changed a thing. It all contributed to some great results. My weight went down ... my body fat went down ... I was looking lean and mean for Get RIPPED filming day! My trainer even said "Good job" and gave me a high five after doing my BF% test and compliments don't come easy from him. But what was most important, I had the energy and stamina to keep my energy levels UP for the entire day of filming ... with a smile on my face! I loved being a part of the Get RIPPED crew this year and being on set seemed like such a natural fit for me. Driving home after the long day, i was overcome with emotion ... fighting tears of joy. So when I go to Hour of Honour today and start to ask myself "Why?!" ... all I have to do is think about the joy I felt accomplishing a goal and getting an opportunity I'll never forget.

Decisions, decisions!

I don't know what to do anymore. Do I do a figure competition in the spring? Or do I train for a photo shoot? Or do I focus solely on a brand new opportunity. Decisions, decisions! There are so many fitness goals I could pursue but I don't know if I can do them all.

Since I started working with my trainer Nathan, the goal was always to do a figure competition in the spring. Lately I've been flip-flopping on the idea ... big show (WBFF), smaller show (IDFA), or no show at all. I love Nate's Hour of Honour twice a week, I love the contest prep ... the training and the discipline involved. I love having a goal to work towards. I NEED a goal to work towards to keep me motivated. But I have to be honest, I do NOT like the pressure of getting on the scale every week to see if I lost weight, especially when the number stays the same ... or worse ... goes up. I even get obsessed with how every inch of my body looks. I don't know if I want that pressure anymore. Plus the post-comp has been hard on my body in the past. But every time I go to a show I get the urge to get on stage. So clearly I haven't decided on that yet.

Then there's the photo shoot. The one and only photo shoot I did was an awesome experience! I loved it and would definitely do it again. That's enough to keep me motivated ... I think. The only thing missing is the competition aspect. I like to compete. And then I wonder ... what will I do with the awesome photos besides show all my Facebook and Twitter friends? How many fitness magazines are going to want to publish a 40-plus year old fitness chick with small real boobs (I'm obsessed with boobs these days ... hahaha) and a mini-fro? I haven't seen too many women that look like me in these magazines yet.

And now there's a new opportunity coming my way. I just attended part 1 of the Get Ripped certification course. I'm learning how to teach the Get Ripped series of fitness classes. And if you've ever taken one of the classes it's a lot harder to instruct than it looks. That means I'll have to be practicing, practicing, and practicing some more in order to get a chance to start teaching. It's something I really want to do. I think it would be so fun! The workouts are great and will keep me in shape as well! And the best part is I'll play a big role in motivating people to take control of their health! How cool would that be?! However, it's going to take a lot of work to be a good, amazing, outstanding instructor ... a focused effort.

Even though I call myself Superwoman, I don't think I can accomplish all three of these fitness goals at the same time. I'm going to have to pick one or maybe two. I don't know. Looks like I've got some decisions to make.

A LITTLE MORE "T" TO GO WITH MY "A"

I WANT BOOBS! There! I said it! That's right! I want a little more "T" to go with my "A". I'm not going to lie. I'm a bit obsessed with looking at women's "augmented" boobs. Plus, when you hang around enough fitness and figure competitors you see LOTS ... good ones ... and not so good ones. I don't want anything over the top (of my blouse ... hahaha). I just want them to be like when I was 20 ... perky, if you will. Okay ... maybe 1 cup size bigger ... but that's it (says the woman who said she only wanted 1 tattoo, got another, and is seriously considering a third.)

Now I'm sure many of you are saying "But Cara you look great and we love you just the way you are!" and I thank you for that. I love me too! And I would still love me if I didn't have to "lift and separate" ... heehee!

If you want to know why I would LOVE a new set, I have three reasons:
1) As I get older and train harder my body is getting tighter and leaner ... except the "girls" are getting smaller and flatter ... and it does not look pretty when you're skipping or running. (Can anyone recommend a really good sports bra, please?)
2) Bigger ta-tas make your stomach "appear" flatter. I'd still train my core but the extra help of the "optical illusion" doesn't hurt.
3) I need all the girly-ness I can get. With a mini-fro and muscles, I have to do a little extra to bring out my femininity ... "augmentation" would go a long way to help that!

Y'all may be surprised by this admission but I'm just being "real" ... about "fake" boobs! Hahaha! By the way, anyone have a spare 10 grand I could borrow?

There's no whining at Hour of Honour!

I learned very early on with my trainer Nathan that complaining about anything in his workouts will cost you in sweat and muscle pain. There's no whining at Hour of Honour. In fact, for the first few weeks I attended, I barely spoke or made eye contact with him. I just did what I was told. Well today I was trying to play Superwoman but I couldn't handle it any longer. I had a sharp pain in my left knee that I've been feeling when I run on the treadmill for the last few weeks. I had a run right before going to Hour of Honour and had to cut it short by about 5 minutes because of the sharp pain every time my left foot hit the tread. I was not impressed. But like a true athlete I thought I could "play through". So off I went with my Superwoman cape blowing in the wind from my gym to the Athlete Factory where Nate puts us through our paces. We started with our regular warm-up laps ... and bang ... sharp pain in the knee hit me at the end of lap 2. I had to walk the last little bit. I resisted saying anything for a few seconds then I thought I have to. So all I did was yell "Pain in the knee" and I pointed to it. Nathan said "Pain in my ear!" But then he eventually modified a few exercises for me. I felt like wimp. I wanted to do backwards leap frogs. I wanted to do one-legged squats and go all the way down like everyone else. I wanted to do full out sprints. (Wow. I can't believe I just said that.) But I couldn't do those things tonight. I felt like a total whiner and I felt like Nathan was annoyed. I need to get over that.

So what did I learn from all of this? That sometimes EGO gets in the way. For such a small word, it can have such a BIG impact on so many things. Have you checked your EGO lately? You may be surprised at what you find.

An Awesome Workout Always Makes it Better

I made some bad choices today. And as a result, I created a day of bitchiness for myself. But an awesome workout always makes it better.

It started first thing this morning when I got to work. The frustration kicked in almost immediately. One incident set off a constant flow of complaining and bitching. So when that wave of negativity settled down I was hit with another annoying issue. That sure got my mouth going and the f-bombs flying. It was so bad my co-worker felt he had to give me a hug. Then I was just punchy for the rest of the day. Ready to snap at a moment's notice.

Now remember when I said I made some bad choices? Well actually it was just one bad choice ... but that's all it took. I chose to react negatively to all those incidents that happened. I chose to get angry, swear, pout, raise my voice, get snappy, and cop an attitude ... all those antics were my choice. I was fully aware I was doing it. I was fully aware I chose to do it. So why did I bring all those negative vibes into my day? I guess because I can. Sorry. Nothing profound here. Simply because I can. And I did. I'm not saying that it was right and I'm not proud of it.

So to help get me out of my funk I went to my happy place. I focused on my cardio and Hour of Honour workout that I would be doing later that day. (By the way, I chose NOT to do my cardio today because of one of those incidents that happened). Even though the Hour of Honour is hellish ... muscle-burning, ear-ringing HELL ... it was still awesome! It was the best way to end my day of (choosing to be) bitchy Cara! So thank you Nathan and all the ladies that "sweat it out" at the Athlete Factory today! You made my day!

They're Not Always Going to be Winners

I've been trying to figure out all day what I was going to share with you all in my blog but I was stumped. Usually once I start writing about something the words just flow. I typed, stopped, and deleted on my computer about 5 times. Then it hit me. I realized they're not always going to be winners. Why don't I just write about that? It's real. Most of the time I'm inspired to write about something from my workout or other healthy adventures. But today it was pretty boring actually. My "Workout DVD" practice I was supposed to attend was moved to Friday, so all I had to do today was cardio ... 60 minutes of walking on the treadmill at an incline. *Yawn* Sometimes that can be the longest hour of my life. I was equipped with distractions though: my iPod playing old school tracks, my BlackBerry so I could tweet and text, some gym friends came by for brief chats, and best of all, CNN kept me up to date on how many miners were left to emerge from that Chilean mine. As I watched miner after miner reuniting with their loved ones after 69 days underground in a deep dark hole, I started to put my boredom into perspective. Maybe 60 minutes walking on a treadmill is not so bad after all. By the way, I'm so thrilled all the those miners got out safely. Now that's a WINNER of a story!

10 Almonds Per Day (And Other Important Numbers)

I never thought I'd be so pumped about having 2 tablespoons of any condiment per meal. My trainer said I could! But when I asked him if that included ALMOND BUTTER he said "Almond butter is not a condiment." Whatever. But I do get to have 10 almonds per day. One of my friends asked me "What happens if you have 11?" Good question. Nothing really happens. "It's just a guideline", I told her. "Like the number on your scale."

Fitness/figure competitors are so obsessed with numbers ... calories, weight of food, weight on the scale, body fat percentage, days and weeks until competition etc. Here are some numbers I'm dealing with right now: my goal is to lose 3.4% body fat in 3 weeks ... just in time for filming day for the Ripped: Chiseled workout video. And even though it's not a competition, sometimes I get overwhelmed and just don't want to count anymore. Or I just don't want to stand on the scale every week and here it creak and wonder what the number will be this time. It can be agonizing and frustrating sometimes when that number is not what you want it to be.

So I've decided NOT to focus on certain numbers right now (BF% and weight) and just DO THE WORK. Because I believe if I DO THE WORK the results will come. So here's to day two of my 3 week plan (more numbers ... ha!) ... all meals consumed (no extras), cardio completed, and hour of honour accomplished. Bring on day three!

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it!

Something really AWESOME is going on right now. I'm so excited and I just can't hide it! I'm a video chick! Some of you already know I'm going to be in one of Jari Love's latest set of Ripped workout DVDs. (www.jarilove.com) The one I'm in is called Chiseled. Mostly resistance training ... feeling the burn in your muscles! It's a tough workout especially when you're doing certain parts over and over again, like we do when we're practicing. But the goal of course, is to get chiseled.

So how am I getting "CHISELED" for filming day? Well let me fill you in on what the next three weeks will be like for me. Now keep in mind, this is what "I'm" doing. The other ladies in this video already teach the Ripped classes therefore they're already ripped. Me? I'm getting there. With the help of a new program and meal plan from my trainer Nathan Harewood this is what I'll be putting my body and mind through to look "AWESOMER" come filming day:

Monday: Cardio 25 minutes skipping, 30 treadmill incline walk
Tuesday: Cardio 40 minute run AND Hour of honour with Nathan the trainer
Wednesday: Cardio 60 minutes treadmill incline walk AND Chiseled practice (approx. 2 hours)
Thursday: Cardio 25 minutes skipping, 30 treadmill incline walk AND Hour of Honour with Nathan the trainer
Friday: Cardio 40 minute run
Saturday: REST
Sunday: Cardio 60 minutes stairs AND Chiseled practice (approx. 2 hours)

Tired yet? I am. I L.O.V.E. it ... the opportunity, the challenge, the rewards! Stay tuned!

ONE OF MY TOUGHEST CHALLENGES YET

I've lifted super heavy weights, have done reps until I thought fire was going to shoot from my muscles, ran tons of sprints at top speed, gasping for air. But this week I faced one of my toughest challenges yet ... and I didn't move a muscle or break a sweat. Curious yet? I started a 30-day Meditation challenge. Yes that's right. I, Cara "Superwoman, can't sit down, doing too much" Fullerton, committed to at least 10 minutes of stillness every day. Not sleeping. Focusing. Focusing on my breath. Not "thinking" about anything. Sounds easy doesn't it. NOT! Try it. Seriously ... it's difficult. When I tried it for the first time my mind went every where from the pain in my ankles from sitting crossed-legged to what I was going to wear to work to how much time was left in my 10 minutes of stillness to that email I had to send to whoever. I made it through the 10 minutes though. And have done it every day since I started last Monday. In fact, on Saturday I did it three times ... once in the steam room at the gym! For those who don't meditate you're probably asking yourself why I'm doing it. Well, there is too much going on in my brain and I believe it's causing me to disconnect from myself. I want to reconnect with Authentic Cara. My friend Jackie Dumaine (www.stillnessroom.com) started this challenge and has been subtly harassing me to join. (I would say this to her face ... it was annoying at times ... heehee.) I finally took her up on it because I felt so scrambled. There are some negative things going on in my life that I needed to take care of. I had lots of ideas and thoughts in my head. I didn't know how to put it all together. I was overwhelmed. It was affecting me psychologically, emotionally and worst of all, physically. It impacted my fitness and how well I performed when I trained. It will be interesting to see how meditation will change my LIFE. I've been told by many who practice meditation that with consistency it will make a huge impact. Now I don't know if my one week of meditation has changed anything yet. All I know is I had a great week, I look forward to my 10 minutes of stillness everyday, and I'm looking forward to another great week ahead. I've been working so hard on my BODY ... it's time to work on my MIND and most importantly my SPIRIT.

Confessions of a Fitness Groupie

I never thought I'd be so excited to meet so many fitness "celebrities". I was fortunate enough to attend the WBFF World Championships in Toronto this past weekend. And I confess: I'm a fitness groupie. I knew there were going to be some famous faces there but I didn't realize how giddy I'd get when I saw them in the "fit" flesh. But there were also people I met who are not so famous but still inspired or impressed me. So the debut entry to my new blog FIT & FIERCE FOREVER is dedicated to some of people I "experienced" and the impact they made on me (in no particular order):

Monica Brant - I was fortunate enough to train alongside this fitness icon back in July. Amazing to see Ms. Brant compete in person ... and win (WBFF PRO Figure Model)! Plus she's a total sweetheart.

Obi Obadike - I interrupted his breakfast just to say hi and congratulate him on his win (WBFF PRO Male Fitness Model)... a win he said he wanted SO bad ... a win that brought him to his knees in prayer. And he's SO much hotter in person.

Kelechi Opara - He was eating breaky with Obi ... very sweet smile ... and of course he's jacked up! When I heard his name on stage I realized we were Facebook friends. Very cool!

Tosca Reno & Bob Kennedy - Spotted them in the theatre before the show started and had to get a picture. Another brief meet and greet but they were very gracious, allowing me to get a picture with them. So cool!

Lyzabeth Lopez ... Gorgeous! I was a little embarrassed because I recognized her but couldn't remember how to pronounce her first name. So I just asked her what her name was. Lol! Did I mention she's gorgeous?

Miryah Jade Scott - Looked stunning on stage and I can tell she is truly proud of herself and all her hard work. Celebrate it girl! Wear that crown proudly! You earned it!

Chivon John - Twitter/Facedbook friend who I got to meet in person! Sweet and petite! Hope to get to know her more! Maybe one day we'll be on stage together

Ian Walling - The head judge of my very first competition back in 2007! Had a great chat about the ups and downs of competing and the importance of being grounded during the entire experience.

Kamber Lindenbach - One of the Alberta girls ... rocked the new haircut! Sexy and cute! Brought her swagga on stage!

Nathan Harewood - My trainer ... Chilled ... Pumping out some of the best competitors on stage. Me next!

Katie Noval - Another super cutie! So focused on her goal! Looked so confident on stage!

Maria Taylor - I didn't actually get to meet her but was thrilled that she won Overall Figure ... 'cuz she's a sista!!!

One thing I learned though ... always have your camera ready, because you never know who might walk by ... "Hey, isn't that ... ?"