In search of the beautiful body

I recently met the lovely Loretta Watson. Loretta is one of Australia’s elite “Figure” competitors and I thought it would be interesting for her and me (and you) to have a casual chat about her habit. You know, the one where she stands on a stage in front of a huge crowd, under bright lights bearing a postage stamp. Yes, that.

I’m guessing there’s not much baked cheesecake on the pre-contest menu, which might be a kind of psychological barrier for a potential Body Shaper like me. For. Not that I wouldn’t look amazing on stage in a bikini and heels (shut up), but for now, I think I’ll leave it at that; an idea. Not one you want to think about too much.

Here is our cat. That’s me in bold.

1. So, Loretta, tell us a bit about body shaping sport (is it a sport?)

Yes, I think it is a sport, although others may argue otherwise, in which there are no teams, skills or tactics involved and the evaluation criteria are not black and white. Body reshaping is actually called Ms Figure in the competition (oops, my mistake), so it’s more commonly known as “figure.” There are two divisions in women’s competition: “physique”, where the girls are the most muscular (bigger), and “figure”, which is me, which means having muscles and being as slim as the physique girls, without compromising form. feminine, aiming for a “V-taper” shape, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and strong, shapely butt and legs. In other words, a strong and athletic female body. We are judged on symmetry (top to bottom, left to right), muscularity, condition (how skinny we are), and stage presentation. Our style of posing, as well as the fact that we wear stripper shoes (!) on stage (er… is it hot in here?) also set us apart from the physical divide. We are generally judged in height classes (short, medium, tall), with girls from 18 to 60 years old competing.

2. What do you enjoy about being a “Figure” competitor?

First of all, that I control the entire process. My results depend on what I put in my mouth, if I decide to do cardio at midnight if necessary, how hard I train, if I’m hungry, injured, cranky, tired, happy… or it’s rainy and cold . It’s easy to make excuses for not doing it, but at the end of the day, I’m alone on stage and my results are purely my efforts, good or bad (plus, the photos are recorded forever…so there’s an incentive!) . (Good point). When they’re good, it’s an amazing feeling. I also love the athletes I meet, train with and learn from. Their champion attitudes are positive and engaging, making me mentally stronger and more focused every day, which I can then apply to all areas of my life. I love challenging myself to always improve and the discipline that goes with it. I love the day of the competition and being on stage in the heat of the competition, it’s a very exciting feeling. But the best part is getting my hair, nails, and makeup done, put on a sparkly bikini, and be a princess for a day! (A princess with a six pack and weird legs.)

3. What is the negative (potential) side of your sport?

Depending on your personality type and emotional state, I could see (and have seen) how it could become an obsession and be quite unhealthy in terms of seeing yourself only as your body. Another consideration is that it is possible to disrupt normal bodily functions with severe dieting and dehydration, if not carefully monitored.

4. How long have you been training (seriously) with weights?

6 years, since 2003.

5. How often do you lift weights and for how long each session?

6 days a week, 45 minutes – 1 hour. The type of training I do demands efficiency because the intensity is high. If I did it any longer I would be overtraining and not maximizing my gains. I always train with a purpose and I know exactly what I will do that day, so as not to waste time and energy. A training diary is a must!

6. What kind of cardio things do you do and how often?

In the off-season (meaning anything outside of about 20 weeks before competition) I rely on the intensity of my weight training to increase my metabolism, as well as my diet (lots of green vegetables) to keep me lean, and I don’t build no cardio exercise. in my training (but I sneak in 1-2 boxing sessions a week). This is because cardio uses up the calories and recovery time I need to grow (more muscle). Depending on how far I am from my competition weight, I will generally start cardio (20 minutes of treadmill walking 3-4 times per week) about 16 weeks after competition and gradually increase over the next 16 weeks to about 30 minutes twice a day.

7. How long until your next competition?

13 weeks

8. Can you tell us exactly what you will be eating today (Wednesday June 24, 2009)?

Yes, but it will take a while… 5:00 am Protein shake + supplements; 5:30 am ½ cup oatmeal in water + ½ banana; 6:00 am Pre-workout protein shake + supplements; 7:15 am Post Workout Protein Shake + Supplements; 7:45 am 100 g of chicken, 100 g of brown rice; 8:15 am Meal replacement shake + 50g sweet potato; 9:45 am 100 g of chicken, 100 g of brown rice; 12:15 150g chicken, 50g brown rice, 200g green beans + supplements; 14:45 Sat at 12:15; 17:15 Sat at 12:15; 8:00 p.m. 150g steak, 200g green beans or broccoli; 21:30 Proteins to gain weight + supplements… Bed. (Okay, it’s official; I don’t want to be a Figure girl. Hey, boy.)

9. How do you stay sane, balanced, and emotionally healthy in a sport where you are judged on your physical appearance?

How do you know I’m all that? (Good point. Oddball.) He was worried about it at first when he was deciding whether or not to compete. I didn’t know if I could deal with people criticizing me and my body. It can be seen as a very personal attack if you are not emotionally strong enough. I was very lucky to have a great team of people who helped me early on, who really knew what they were doing and kept me grounded. From there I developed a healthy attitude towards the whole process and now I just focus on getting the job done. If I’ve made the improvements I want, win or lose, I know I’ve done what I set out to do. I also stay away from people who may have a more obsessive perspective. I try to keep a variety of interests. And I apply the lessons learned from my training to other areas of my life to bring it into balance: growing both physically and mentally requires pain, but if you are consistent, focused and positive, it will happen.

10. Do some people lose their way and go from healthy to unhealthy (physically and emotionally)?

I’ve seen people fail on stage, lose normal bodily functions (especially women), wreck their metabolism so that just looking at a carb puts up 10 pounds, dehydration, emotional ups and downs, relationship breakups, self-obsession and a whole lot more. more, but I guess anything in the extreme can be unhealthy. That’s why I approach the whole process in the most intelligent and methodical way possible; keeps me grounded. I think that many athletes are predisposed to be a little obsessive at times but my sport is not my life; it is one-sided. A fun part, but a part nonetheless. (Wise words Grasshopper.)

11. Have you seen my butt and legs, would this be a good body shaper?

I haven’t seen you in a bikini and stilettos yet, so I’ll reserve judgement, they’re good weapons though. (I bet you say that to every middle-aged idiot you know.)

12. Okay, give your sponsors a poke.

My wonderful sponsor is Johnny (do you have a Johnny too?) at AST Sports Science. He provides me with all my supplements including protein, creatine, glutamine, thermogenics, fats, weight gainer (gainer?) and lots of competition support. He is a superior product, I used him long before I was sponsored and he has given me my results to date. Well, he must do something because you look great.

Thanks for taking the time Loretta and enjoy your next compilation. Thanks, I will do it. Do you want some cheesecake? Idiot. That hurts.