What Stepping on a Bodybuilding Stage Taught Me About Being a Mom
What Stepping on a Bodybuilding Stage Taught Me About Being a Mom
When I decided to step back onto the bodybuilding stage after a 10-year hiatus, I didn't make a big announcement. There was no dramatic countdown on my Instagram, no "prep series" documenting every meal, and no grand declaration of my return.
I was a mom of three, running a full-time coaching business, and managing a household. The idea of adding a grueling competition prep to my plate seemed impossible. In fact, it started with a casual comment at dinner where someone suggested I probably couldn't compete again given my current season of life.
That was the inciting incident. I decided to coach myself, integrate the prep into my family life, and see what I was truly capable of. I ended up placing first in two categories.
But the trophies aren't what I took away from that experience. What I actually gained was a profound shift in how I view my role as a mother, a wife, and a woman navigating her 30s. Here is what the stage taught me about real life.
1. Your Kids Are Watching How You Treat Yourself
As mothers, we are conditioned to put ourselves last. We eat the cold leftovers off our kids' plates, we skip our workouts because the laundry needs to be done, and we wear our exhaustion like a badge of honor. We think we are being selfless.
But during my prep, I had to be selfish with my time. I had to prioritize my training and my nutrition. And what I realized was that my kids weren't suffering because I was taking time for myself—they were learning.
They watched their mother set a massive goal and work relentlessly toward it. They saw me prioritize my health. They saw my husband drilling posing routines with me in the living room, even through my groaning and eye rolls, teaching them what a supportive partnership looks like.
When you prioritize your own physical and mental strength, you give your children permission to do the same when they grow up. You are their blueprint for self-worth.
2. Motivation is a Myth; Discipline is a Muscle
If I had waited to feel "motivated" to train during my prep, I never would have made it to the stage. There were mornings when I was exhausted from being up with the kids, my body ached, and the last thing I wanted to do was lift heavy weights.
Bodybuilding taught me that motivation is a fleeting emotion, but discipline is a muscle that you can build.
You don't have to want to do the work. You just have to do it. This applies to every area of life. You don't always want to pack the lunches, pay the bills, or have the hard conversations in your marriage. But you do them because you are committed to the outcome.
When you apply that same level of non-negotiable discipline to your health, your body has no choice but to transform.
3. The Goal is Not to Stay "Stage Lean"
This is perhaps the most important lesson I brought back to my coaching practice.
When you see a fitness competitor on stage, you are looking at a body that is in a temporary, extreme state. It is not a sustainable, healthy way to live year-round. After the show, my goal was never to maintain that level of leanness. My goal was to transition back to a sustainable body composition where I had the energy to chase my kids, enjoy dinner dates with my husband, and live a full life.
So many women are chasing a "stage lean" aesthetic without realizing the physiological cost. They are trapped in a cycle of restrictive dieting, trying to achieve a look that isn't meant to be permanent.
True fitness is about building a body you don't need to escape from. It's about building strength, fueling your metabolism, and creating habits that allow you to thrive in your everyday life—not just for a single moment in the spotlight.
Chasing More
Stepping on that stage wasn't about proving I could still wear a bikini. It was about proving to myself that I was still capable of doing hard things. It was about chasing more—more strength, more resilience, and more life.
You don't have to compete in bodybuilding to experience this shift. You just have to decide that you are worth the effort.
Are you ready to stop putting yourself last and start building a body and a life you love? Let's build a personalized strategy that fits your busy life. Book a free Vision Call with me today, and let's get started.