The clock is ticking, and there are only 26 days left until my next competition, Steel on Fire. My preparations are progressing, albeit a bit slower than I had hoped this week. Life sometimes has its own plans, and I’m learning to go with the flow. I’ve also been experimenting with different formats for my training journal to see what suits me best. 😊
Training Throughout the Week
Since Julian had to take antibiotics this week, we couldn’t run through our full choreography on Tuesday. This was far from ideal, but I used the time to work on my individual Static and Spinning parts instead.
I also continued to apply my visualization technique, going through the movements in my head to further solidify them. On Monday, after a short break, my wrist felt much better, so I stuck to my daily cardio and stretching routine and skipped Pole training before my class. The session went really well, but on Tuesday, I started to feel some slight pain in my wrist again. I’m realizing that I need to pay more attention to my body and avoid pushing through any discomfort. That said, I always stop training when my wrist starts to hurt—I don’t push into the pain.
Mental Challenge: Nutrition
This week, sticking to my competition diet (or rather, conscious eating) has been particularly tough. My goal is to consume 130 grams of protein each day and to eat all my meals within my eating window, aiming for around 1,800 calories.
But this week, I had little motivation to keep my diet in check. I just wanted to eat everything—and not just sweets, but all kinds of food! 😂
Fortunately, by Friday, I managed to get back on track, which was a relief. I definitely want to avoid too much rigidity or control in my eating habits. If I get a craving for chips, I’ll indulge and buy a bag. But of course, that shouldn't happen every day. 😜
Sleep and Recovery
My REM sleep has been great this week, with almost 2 hours of REM per night. However, my deep sleep phases weren’t as good, so I need to work on my wind-down routine to improve overall recovery.
Wednesdays are usually my rest days, but I’ve noticed that I do too little on those days, and it leaves me feeling out of balance. I should try adding a small activity like a walk or yoga, or maybe I’ll head to the office instead of working from home to avoid too much relaxation and maintain my routine. I’ll experiment with this in the coming weeks to figure out how to create more balance on rest days. 🙈
Mentally, I’m usually very productive on rest days, but somehow I still feel unproductive at the same time.
Amino Acids: My Supplement Secret
This week, I reintroduced amino acids into my daily routine. Here’s the link to the aminos I use. Last year, before my competition, they helped me feel more energetic and vital.
Why are amino acids so important?
Muscle repair and growth: Aminos help repair and build muscle, especially after intense workouts.
Energy levels: Aminos like Glutamine can help maintain energy levels, especially when you’re on the go or training hard.
Immune support: Some amino acids boost your immune system, which is crucial if you’re around a lot of germs (thanks to kids or travel).
Hair, skin, and nails: Aminos like Cysteine promote the health of your hair, skin, and nails—a bonus for all the beauty lovers out there! 💁♀️
Of course, you don’t usually feel the effects of supplements right away; they build up over time. I’ve felt more energized and healthy since using them. Currently, I’m taking 10 a day, as my workload is higher. Normally, the recommended dose is 5 per day.
Competition Training
On Friday, I ended up training at home. I had only planned to do a quick pole flow, but that quickly turned into a 2-hour session. 😂 I stuck to tricks I already know to avoid overdoing it, but two hours is still a long time! I did it as part of a challenge, where I’ve been catching up on moves I’ve neglected.
Pole Double Intermediate Choreography
In the main training session, things went really well. We followed our Rehearsal, Review, Repeat system and refined some transitions. The first run-through was a bit chaotic, but the second was much better. We’re both perfectionists, so it felt good to leave with just a few minor tweaks to make.
1 1/2 of our props are finished, but I’m still waiting on the fabric for the rest. The order is taking forever, but I hope it arrives next week so I can finally complete everything. 🙈🙈🙈
Pole Single Advanced Choreography
We also worked on my Pole Single Advanced choreography this week, even though it had been nearly two weeks since we last practiced. Julian did manage to get kicked in the face three times (oops! 😅), but by the second run, everything was smooth. There are just a few small things I need to polish up with a bit more practice.
Organization and Preparations
With only 26 days until the competition, things are getting real! What’s been frustrating, though, is that I still haven’t received a response to my emails from the organizers. We also don’t have the event schedule yet, so I have no idea how much time I’ll have between my performances or when I’m actually performing. This makes it difficult to mentally prepare, especially when it comes to costume changes, makeup, and hair. Since hair and makeup each account for six points, I really don’t want to underestimate the importance of planning this out properly. 🙈
Chair Dance Choreography
My Chair Dance Choreography for “Aerial Art on Fire” is also coming along. I’ve got a song, a prop, and a solid choreography. Now, I just need to focus on improving the flow. So it’s going to be practice, practice, practice from here on out! My goal is to create beautiful shapes during the Chair Dance, and that’s what I’m working towards.
All in One
Tomorrow is technically my rest day since I’m going to brunch and later a baptism. But let’s see if I manage to squeeze in a cardio session or maybe even some at-home pole training. Things are getting exciting, and I’m looking forward to making even more progress in the weeks ahead!
That’s my week in a nutshell. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment below. 😊
Comentários