As a professional woman bodybuilder who hasn’t competed in over 11 years but continues to train daily I’m often asked when I will get on stage again. Or if I’m training for a competition by those who don’t know about my professional bodybuilding career. The answer is I have no goals for another competition and I have no plans on retiring either. Most people seem to think that getting on stage must be what motivates me to continue to pump iron the way I have been for over 30 years. And on some levels I can understand why people might assume that. I think setting goals and having a target are both really helpful for keeping motivation up and I would argue that goals can also make it fun to stay focused. So here is what works for me after 35 years of working out and pumping iron consistently over all these years.
1st Goal – Look the part you want to play.
Raised by a dad who said “You can do anything you put your mind to. Be independent so that you can always choose what is best for you” – was a huge motivator for me growing up. So my goal was developing my independence and that also meant feeling strong. After seeing women bodybuilding athletes like Rachel McLish and Cory Everson I knew I wanted to be just like them. I wanted to look the part I wanted to play in my life.
2nd Goal – Get to the Olympia Stage.
From day one I followed the careers of the women I aspired to be and I visualized myself on the Olympia stage. Looking at pictures of the women who inspired me helped keep me focused on my own workouts and over time I followed many other great women bodybuilders of that time.
3rd Goal – Promoting women’s bodybuilding.
I came into the sport of women’s bodybuilding at a time when many of the magazine publishers had started backing away from promoting the women competing in favor of a more mainstream fitness/bikini body, so I found a way to promote the beauty of muscular and athletically built women in sexy way. My partners and I simply focused on redefining the image of women’s bodybuilding at the time while embracing bodybuilding as the unique niche it was. This goal led to the publication of “Muscle Elegance Magazine.”
Today’s goal – Anti-Aging / Longevity/Strength & Independence:
I want to slow down aging and I know that a body in motion stays in motion and a body at rest stays at rest. So I keep moving.
3. Scheduled photo shoots:
I want to look good in pictures so I have periodic photo shoots that help me think about how I want to look and help me stay on course.
4. Events:
The Rolling Stones Concert, I think about what I want to wear to see the greatest rock n roll band in history and that keeps me pumped and thinking young. My 51st Birthday, how do I want to approach the next