Girl, Look at That Body

This past weekend, the kids and I were in Fredericton to support Mr. Level-Headed in his first New Brunswick Bodybuilding Competition. I have to admit, when he first told me he wanted to compete in it this year, I was nervous. There are a lot of stereotypes that surround the world of bodybuilding and I hate to admit it, but I believed them too. I thought of bodybuilders as steroid-pumped, self-absorbed, vain individuals, who would risk their health through extreme dieting, dehydration, drug abuse and intense tanning to strut their stuff around us pale, scrawny mortals just to feel some form of superiority and to attract the attention of the opposite sex. I was scared that my hubby would become one of these individuals and that he would lose sight of who he is and how much his family means to him. I was wrong. Not only did Mr. Level-Headed not become one of these loathsome individuals I just described, but I also discovered that I have been very judgemental and that most people in the bodybuilding world are not like this at all. While supporting my husband along this journey, my eyes were open to how much dedication, hard work, healthy choices and self-restraint are necessary for the human body to be at its best physical shape. Sure, there are a few people who embody the stereotypes I mentioned above, but for the most part, the people on stage this weekend were healthy people, who set goals for themselves and worked very hard to achieve those goals. Most of the people on stage were surrounded by supportive friends and family, and many of them, much to my surprise, were older than thirty-five. In fact, there was a grandmother of seven on stage as well as a fifty-seven year old man, whose wife was back-stage helping him to prepare for the competition. How cute is that? Oh, and I should mention they both looked spectacular and made me feel somewhat self-conscious about my own lack of self-control and unhealthy lifestyle choices, as I was sitting in the audience scarfing down gummy bears . . . tee hee! 

The highlight of the show for us, though, was seeing Mr. Level-Headed come onto the stage and do his routine. Unfortunately, we experienced many technical difficulties this weekend and the video we took of him did not work. (I do have to admit, though, that watching Mr. Level-Headed perform only narrowly beat the moment when one woman, who had just finished her routine, turned around to see her boyfriend walking up behind her on stage. Then he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. Everyone in the audience screamed and cried. It was so amazing to see, and it was even better when she later won first place in her division. Avery, in all his cuteness, leaned over to me with excitement in his eyes, and said: This must be the happiest day of her life . . . awwwww!)  Anyhoo . . . back to our very own, Mr. Level-Headed. ;)  The kids and I were so proud of him. We screamed and cheered for him, and I guess Derrick even heard Elliot when he shouted: "Way to go, Dad!". We were so proud of him and so happy to see him accomplish this goal that many of us had tears in our eyes. As his wife, I was amazed at how awesome he looked and how hard he worked to get to this point. As the mother of his children, I was also proud of him for demonstrating to our kids how to set goals and how to stick to them no matter how difficult or discouraged you may become along the way in order to attain them. I love that he is an excellent example for them of commitment, dedication, and hard work. He truly is an amazing dad!

Unfortunately, in the end, Mr. Level-Headed did not place in the top three for his division. We are currently waiting to hear where he did place among the eight competitors, but the organization has not posted these results yet. From what I could see. though, I would say he came in fourth, which is pretty awesome for his first competition. Initially, Derrick said this was a one-time event for him, but after experiencing how much fun the competition was and witnessing how surprisingly healthy the competition prep was, the kids and I are encouraging him to do it again next year, but this time, he is going to take the title. We just know it!

May I present Shenanigans Inc's Middleweight Bodybuilding Champ of 2013:

And that golden brown tan of his is thanks to little old me, who had to paint him three different times over the course of the night. Truly, the highlight of my life so far . . . tee hee!

And sorry to disappoint you ladies, but I am not sharing the photos of him in his trunks. They are for my eyes only. ;)