I was one of those people that was very good at hiding my stress. I was so good at hiding from others, I never knew I was actually hiding it from myself.
I would say things like, "Aww, I'm good, Man. I'm stress free!"
Little did I know I was only fooling myself.
We become masters at things in our lives that we don't even realize are crippling our self progression. It took me years of looking deep inside myself to find the answers I was secretly searching for. They were all right there in front of me.
I was both the problem and solution.
When I discovered "The Ice Man" Wim Hof, he helped me tap into something so much deeper than anything on the surface of managing stress. I have been an avid user of his breath work and cold therapy since 2017, and my life will never be the same.
I now understand myself in every situation that comes my way. I never focus on the others around, because I cannot change them. The only thing I have control over, is myself.
The Wim Hof Method taught me to be truly present and feel the stress. The more I feel the freezing water around my body during cold immersion, the more I understand it and the greater chance I have to bring the best version of myself to the forefront.
What does it mean for me to bring my best version on myself?
I used to wonder what I could accomplish in bodybuilding if I really challenged myself. Could I compete at the highest level, without given up the functional training methods to which I'm committed?
At the OCB Pro Yorton Cup, I brought my best presentation ever.
.
This experience was full of so many wins before the competition ever began.
With Tyler Mayer's help, I brought a level of conditioning and quality of muscle to the stage that I'd previously only imagined.
This was all achieved while keeping functionality at the forefront. I created the perfect balance between bodybuilding and @functionalpatterns and placed in the top 5 at this national level competition in Washington DC.
I cant even express the amount of gratitude I have for all the love and support I received through this entire prep. @caitiecanacakosfit was the perfect partner for this amazing prep, and made sure we stayed on point with everything we had to do.
The key for me was to create the space needed for my personal time to keep my soul, mind, and body all aligned. I never once let anything get in the way of my healing practices to ensure I kept sight of who I am and who I am striving to become.
This challenge was an incredible experience and I am so blessed to have accomplished so much in the time frame that I did.
My biggest take away is this: