Surround yourself with people who motivate you!

Some people have a "workout buddy", some people love working out alone, and some people are part of a team. I have quickly learned that the sport of fitness competitions can be very lonely....unless you take an individual sport and make it a team sport! That's exactly what Cathy Savage, owner of Cathy Savage Fitness did! Cathy Savage Fitness is a group of women and men from all over the world who support, coach, encourage, and motivate each other to meet their goals and dreams. I have never felt so welcomed, accepted, and inspired! It's amazing what happens when you have a group of people who are not competing against each other but together! As Mama Savage says "Its all about LOVE." 
As I competed for the first time with these woman I was truly amazed by the sisterhood from the very beginning of picking your first show, to the training leading up to it, right on through to the day of the show! Backstage was incredible and honestly my favorite part of the whole journey! Only a few people can really understand why rice cakes with peanut butter are really that good, or wont mind watching your walk and checking to see if bikini bite is needed so your suit doesn't raise into your butt on stage. When awards were given we cheered on our teammates who won, and really felt pure joy and happiness for there accomplishments! When people ask how I did in my first competition I can honestly say "amazing!" I had fun, made it to that stage, and many of my Savage Sisters won! It was an incredible experience! I wasn't sure if I would do another one until I got my feedback from Cathy. Then I felt inspired and can not wait to train for another one!
You can feel the love when you walk through the doors of the studio, there is no judging, no cliches, no cattiness, just love! Like I had said in a prior post, it is taking a little extra for me to get that motivation back that I had leading up to the show.  Yesterday was Mothers Day and since we had celebrated in Boston the day before Adam encouraged me to head down to Norwood for Sunday Session at Cathy's studio. Its about an hour drive and I started with the excuses...It's mothers day, My allergies are really acting up, I'll go next week. Then I remembered how much I love working out with those woman! I got my act together and enjoyed my Starbucks and my quiet drive down. As soon as I walked in I remembered why I was there! Always greeted with smiles, laughter, and inspiration. Lots of these women have competed many times, are well seasoned veterans, have appeared in Oxygen Magazine, and hold many titles from competitions. Working out next to them is an honor and privilege and gives me that extra push I need to kick it up a notch. Whenever I leave a Sunday workout I always feel ready to take on the week! I am already sore today and I know tomorrow will be even worse! Coach Mel and Cathy don't mess around with making it burn! A lot of these women are competing in Miami in just a few short weeks, and after being surrounded by them I feel the excitement about it and it really makes me want to go! Part of me just wants to go and cheer on these incredible competitors and just enjoy the excitement and inspiration they give me! I wish money and time was readily available! 

It is so important to spend time with people who make you want to be a better person. My family is always encouraging me to accomplish my dreams and goals, Adam always knows how to give me the extra push I need sometimes to get my butt into gear, and my Savage Family is a group of woman with similar interest, goals, and an understanding of what it's like to eat dark green veggies and white fish for two weeks. I am also blessed to have an incredible group of friends who support me! I couldn't imagine what  I would do if I didn't have all this support and positive feedback and encouragement in my life!