2012 NPC Pittsburgh Recap

~ Ello loves :)

2012 NPC Pittsburgh was last weekend on May 5th. And whelp...
I went, I saw, I got 5th.

Hyyuuuggge trophy!

Bombshells in my class with our trophies :)

I am so blessed to be able to do what I love and go to amazing places, hang out with my incredible teammates, and show off my hard work among my peers. Yup, all top 5 of them gorgeous gals are BOMBSHELLS. It isn't too shabby to lose to the best there is :)

The top 5 in my height class

I am definitely excited to have made the podium at such a large and prestigious show, and I was SUPER excited about my progress since my last show. This is definitely the best package: hair, makeup, suit, body, posing, I have brought to the Bikini stage to date.

________________________

Of course, I wanted to WIN. I could almost taste it. I wanted it bad. I worked harder than ever. I practiced, practiced, practiced. I did plyometrics till I cried. I fought cravings and waged war on fat cells... I was ready!! So why only 5th? I was disappointed at first, not gonna lie. 5th? Don't you mean 1st? Nope. Not this time, it wasn't my show. It wasn't my time.

Chalk this one up to Rule #3

I called my mom first thing after getting off the stage and broke the good/bad news of my 5th place trophy. She was supportive but understanding, considering she knows very well how much I had put into earning a 1st place bid. Then, I sucked it up and put a smile on, and decided that hey, this IS a victory and this IS success for me so there is NO reason I should fret about not being the perfect image of what the judges wanted to see that night, because I know deep down that I had made such huge improvements - both mentally and physically -throughout the preparation for this show that no one and nothing could ever steal that joy from me!

I can't believe it's been a year already! I don't feel like the same person at
all. I feel so much BETTER :D

________________________

Winning is an attitude, a state of mind, a mentality. It says, "I was my best and I am proud of that." It says, "I overcame what held me back last time, and I am stronger now." It says, "I won already when I got to motivate and inspire my friends, family, and people that I don't even know by committing to a fit lifestyle." And to the girl who took home the big #1 trophy you so intensely desired, it says, "Congratulations, you earned it and you deserve it. I'm happy for you!!" THAT's winning, and that's what I will always strive to do :)

My friend, teammate and all-time biggest inspiration Jaime Baird said it best in her latest blog on FitnessRx: Winning Lessons

The time will come. I'll earn the top spot soon, but until then
I will work my butt off, enjoy the journey, and keep improving!

As always... blessings,
~ Ruthie

________________________

PS -  Gotta leave you with my favorite shot: the Bombshell booty! Lunge, squat, run, jump, repeat :)

2012: Eye of the PUMA

Alright folks, I am posting with as much energy and motivation as the Energizer bunny on a trampoline lol... so hold onto your horses!!

It. Is. On.

I am thrilled with how 2011 went (and it's not even over!) and I am gonna attack 2012 with the expectation of more GREAT things to happen. Anything is possible with GOD, PERSISTENCE, and SUPPORT. I hope you're not offended by this, but it's kinda exactly how I feel haha:

Yup. Come to momma 2012!! lol. 2012 will be the year I FINISH Engineering school, move to Washington, compete at the NPC National level, go PRO, get published in a main-stream fitness magazine, and get a major supplement company sponsorship.

Yup, I said it... so it shall be done! How do I plan on doing all this? Well first off, 2011 was a huge year for me and my spiritual growth and I plan to continue to grow even more (more on this later though). It was definitely painful growth in 2011, I learned alot the "hard way" and through "trials and tribulations" and even if 2012 is just as hard: bring it on!! I will work to build certainty in my ability, persistence in my efforts, and willpower to overcome my diet woes of inconsistency and extremes (self-inflicted).

First stop? I'm going to Vegas for a photo shoot with photographer Bobby Black on Janurary 15th. Bobby is a person friend of Jamie Eason and does all her appearances/ expo/ fan photos when she travels.



I met him at the Olympia when I went, and we've been wanting to work together ever since. I'm thrilled it's finally happening! I'm still looking for ideas/inspirations for the shoot.... any ideas?
Here's some of his work: www.BobbyBlack.com

Next: I must nail down which National show I wanna do to get some experience with the National judges, and then which Pro Qualifier I wanna do. Here's the two most likely options, but I am still not sure:  

2012 NPC PITTSBURGH CHAMPIONSHIPS - May 5, 2012 Pittsburgh, PA

NPC USA Bikini Championships (IFBB Pro Qualifier) - July 27-28, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

**To see the Eastern line-up of shows see here: Bev Francis Contest Schedule**

This is key: HAVE FAITH in your ability

To know how far I'll go... here's where I start, progress pics as of today:

"Eye of the Puma" is what Kinjal and I like to call working super hard and focusing on doing whatever it takes to get lean, mean, and supa fit! We call it that because of Puma athletics and how freaking amazing it would be to be in their ad campaigns as a fitness model. So eye of the puma will be the matra, and the method will be just winning each day. So far so good. Today is Day #1 of super clean diet, sleeping enough, drinking tons of water, taking my supplements, and keeping high intensity in my cardio and lifting. One day, one meal, one bite, one workout, one rep... at a time. For today... Cardio: check, food prep: check, weights at 3pm!

I have about 3 weeks to go till my photoshoot... Let's do it!! I'd love to know, what're your fitness goals for 2012 and what personal doubt/bad habits/baggage to you plan to leave behind in 2011 to accomplish them?

As always, blessings,
~ Ruthie