Diet, Depleting, and Diapers by Christine Wan

Toddlers and training - and I don't mean potty training. This is for all of us who have been through it and might perhaps provide some insight for those future mommies-to-be.

My husband said to me one day, when I was about two weeks out from a show, "Well sweetie, you just need to have more discipline. Be stronger." I wanted to take the bag of Dunkin' Donuts he just brought home to share with our daughter, Jade, who was around two at the time, and smack him upside the head with it. That will show him just how strong I am...the nerve!

In hindsight, I suppose he was right. After the birth of our daughter, Jade, it was I who made the decision to continue competing, not him making the decision to start eating donuts. Nobody forced this decision onto me. I could have given up at any time. It just took a little more work -no, A LOT more work - than before.

As most of you know, dieting down and training for a show takes a lot of discipline, everything needs to be on schedule. And, let's face it, you need to be selfish at times. I can recall the days when I only had myself to think about. I could be out the door in less than two minutes, and was able to sleep for six hours uninterrupted. There was plenty of time for housework and errands throughout the day. Back then, multi-tasking meant brewing coffee and cooking my eggs at the same time. Back then, I would also get aggravated if someone cut me off in traffic or if the person in line in front of me was paying by check.

These days, I brew my coffee and cook my eggs, help my finicky-eater daughter eat homemade French toast with "snow sugar" on top, while catching up on emails, usually while the washer and dryer is running. There doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day anymore. It usually takes me half an hour, and a few tries, to get out of the house and on my way to the gym because I've forgotten a juice cup, snacks, extra diaper, or my own food or water. Once in the car, hopefully, Jade will be content with whatever DVD is on. If not, I will either have to deal with the crying or turn around and get another DVD. Schedule, schmedule....as long as I eat again by one-thirty, I'll be alright.

Thirteen shows I have competed in before my daughter's third birthday. Four shows before she even turned one. With each show, I have learned more and gained patience and understanding in how to keep my wits. Plenty of times through her terrible two's, I was ready to throw in the towel and hang up my suits because I just couldn't seem to pull it together like I used to. That was something that frustrated me beyond belief. I was mad at the world, and at life in general, yet I still had to put on a happy face and sing along to Barney.

We just recently celebrated Jade's third birthday, and it has taken me this long to realize that, no, I am not the same person I used to be. My training and diet may not be as "perfect" as it once was. I will always have junk food and snacks in the house, I cannot count on having five minutes of peace and quiet, and I do not come first anymore. I now must put the needs of someone else before me. No longer do I let that frustrate me, as I have come to accept it. And in acceptance, I have become a more patient person. With this newfound patience, I am able to train with a lot less stress and focus better on whatever task I have at hand. No longer does it bother me if someone is on "my stepper", and it's not the end of the world if my last meal of the day has to wait until after Jade's bath and bedtime story, even if she wants to splash for an extra five minutes.

And no longer do I need to "put on" a happy face. Sometimes I might even find myself humming a silly children's song when nobody's around (though definitely NOT Barney!).

Christine Wan - IFBB Figure Athlete
www.christinewan.com

Christine recently finished seventh at the Europa super Show, her best placing since her pro debut in 2003.

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