How its going...

well ive been working out a lot, kind of. I work two jobs so I guess it varies. I have been keeping a food log and attempting to diet. I am not so good at it. I have been thinking about becoming a vegetarian. I just don't eat a lot of meat as it is and I really only eat chicken if I do. Dieting is hard. I am working with my trainer in Oklahoma. We do it over emails. I send pictures and my food log and exercise log and he tweajs everything each month. I gain muscle really fast so he has me doing a lot of cardio.

I met with a dress designer and they will be designing my dress, its white and gold and thats all I am saying! Its a supriseeeeeeeeee!!!

Journey to Miss Iowa USA 2011

I have decided to start training for the Miss Iowa USA 2011 pageant, which will be heald October 23 and 24 in Ames, Iowa! I was 4th runner up in the 2010 pageant. I called future productions about 2 weeks ago and talked to Libby. I asked her what I could improve on, she said the only thing i really needed to work on was leaning out my muscles and getting my body in better shape.

Which brings me to talk about personal trainers. I am working with a guy named Brian Atteberry out of oklahoma. Yes it is far away from Iowa, but we do it over the computer. He says he has worked with other girls like me (like me I mean hyper muscular, meaning I gain muscle a lot faster than most) He says he has leaned out girls that are similar to my situation. I am doing his workouts and diets and so far I like them, I feel better about myself already. I wish, however, i could see over night results! But hey...who doesnt!? I usually have a hard time trusting trainers, I have worked with several in the past all promising they can lean me out, but it never happens. I always end up bulking up. Trainers in Iowa don't know a lot about pageant bodys, and if they do in Iowa I have YET to meet one!

Anyway Brian has me eating 5 small meals a day, cutting out almost ALL of my carbs and replacing them with protien and "fibrious veggies" ( i think its funny to repeat that), I also have whey protien drinks, oatmeal, peanut butter, jelly sugar free preserves, and brown rice. Its a rough diet coming from someone who eats like a child. aka. chicken fingers, tater tots, pizza, etc. 

For workouts, this month I have 5 wight exercises which he will change in a month. I also am doing 30 mins of cardio a day to start with. I can obviously do more if I choose.

Brian works with a lot of girls who have great bodys! This year all four of the girls he trianed were in the top 10, one of them was 1st runner up to Miss USA. If you go to Miss USA website look up contestants : Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri I believe were his four girls he trianed! HOPEFULLY my body can look as great as theirs! Anyway that is all for now, I will keep you updated on my progress!!!

ps. sorry it has been awhile since i last blogged!

Interview Questions

When it comes to beauty pageants, I feel that the questions that contestants are asked have become significantly harder. When I did my very first pageant in 2005 I remember the questions being easy. What my favorite color was and why? If I was stranded on an Island what three things would I bring? Etc… But recently I have noticed that the questions have become serious, over controversial topics. Yet they are all opinion questions. “What do you think about such and such?” So how can one be judged on their opinion? There is no right or wrong answer when asking someone what they think about a topic. For instance: Miss California USA 2009 was asked about how she felt about gay marriage. I personally support it, she however does not. When everyone heard her answer, some applauded and some booed. She was taunted and people looked down on her for thinking it was wrong. But it was HER opinion. It was a question she may not have ever had to answer. So why did people get so offended? She is still beautiful, a great public speaker, and I think handled herself well. I have family members that are gay and I am in favor of gay marriage, but I can’t ridicule someone based on their opinions just because they differ from mine. So here are some pageant questions to go over, if you are planning on competing. 

(These are just questions I found on a website that thought would be useful)

 

Expect the pageant host to ask questions in one of the following areas:

 

Current events and controversial events
Your pageant platform
Your Bio

 

Why you think you would be a good titleholder

 

If you can confidently answer these questions, then chances are very good that you will flow right past this part and be on your way to the crowning ceremony:

 

• What is the one feature you would change about yourself and why?
• If you could change one things about the world, what would it be?
• What is your definition of success?
• What is the biggest challenge for young people today?
• Which celebrity would you invite to dinner and why?
• Name 3 words that describe you. Now explain why they describe you...
• What bothers you most about what is happening in your country today and why?
• Do you think that professional athletes are overpaid?
• If you could only bring one thing on a desert island with you, what would it be and why?

 

Questions I have personally had to answer:

• What is your worst habit and what can you do to change it?
• Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet and not an actual plant, how do you feel about this?
• Do you need the crown? Or does the crown need you?
• Where do you see yourself in 5, 10 or 15 years?
• What can you do to change the world?
• Why should you be crowned the winner of this pageant?

 

Piercings

I thought your comments were interesting on my tattoo blog. So I thought I would ask you the same question about piercings. I have a lot of piercings. I have my belly button pierced as well as a lot of piercings in my ears.

When I compete I take out my belly button ring about a month before to minimize the hole. I also take out all of the earrings in my ear except the first holes. I think one piercing looks nice and professional when competiting in pageant. However, for my personal taste and everyday life I like the piercings I have.

Do you think girls should take out their piercings or do you think it doesn't matter?

I have 5 piercings in this ear and 4 in the other.

Tattoos

I always get asked how people feel about tattoos in pageants and if the judges frown upon it. Well I guess I don't know what judges think of it, I’m sure some don't care, some do, and some hate them. Every judge is different. I personally have 2 tattoos, but I put them in places that I can hide them if I want to. I think it looks better on stage when you can't see them, or you cover them up.
I think tattoos are becoming more accepted by the world, in every situation. At the same time, there will always be people who hate them.

My suggestions for those who do pageants and have tattoos or want to get them; either put them in a place you can hide them, or you can use Derma Blend. It is a great cover up makeup!

So my question for you: If you were a judge and there was a girl you really liked competing and you saw she had a tattoo, would you score her differently?

Dedication Post

This post is a dedication to show how much my roommate from Miss Teen USA means to me. In 2007 when I went to Miss Teen USA to represent Iowa I roomed with Miss South Carolina Teen USA Caite Upton. We hit it off really well. We had the same favorite colors, her birthday was the day after mine, we were interested in the same things, and we instantly became great friends. We were connected at the hip for Miss Teen USA. When finals came around Caite was announced 3rd runner up! Meaning she was in the top 5 in the nations for BEST girls! She is beautiful, funny, smart, and has a great personality.

So why am I dedicating this post to her? Well when Caite was called into the top 5 she had to answer a top 5 question. The video is found here. Caite like many of us would choked. She got nervous, as I would to when you are live in front of millions of people. I wouldn't have known what to say to that either. What do you mean 1/5th of americans can't locate the US on a world map! Does this include babies? I have noo clue what I would have said.

Caite has gotten a lot of publicity from this answer; both good and bad. I remember her telling me that she didn't want to be remembered for this, but for something outstanding she did. Caite is not a dumb person, she is very smart.

So heres what I would like to do. I would like to put you in that situation. You have 30 seconds to answer this question, write your answer in a coment and then think of how hard it would have been to do that in from of millions of people. (BE HONEST ALLOW YOURSELF ONLY 30 SECONDS)

Question: Recent Polls have shown a fifth of americans can't located the US on a world map. Why do you think this is?

Products

So I had a suggestion to write about he different products I use, whether it be makeup or hair. So I will just tell you the things I MAKE sure to have when doing a pageant!

1. HAIRSPRAY
2. Butt glue (keeps things in the right spot, so you aren't hanging out on stage. Can be used for gluing swimsuits to your butt so you don't get wedgies, or by your boobs to hold your dress up, or any other thing you want to keep in a certian place)
3. Full body mirror (when there are 100 girls, you can never have enough mirrors)
4. Fake eyelashes ( a must have on any stage performance, otherwise your eyes look bald)
5. eyeliner and mascara
6. a back comb ( LOTS OF VOLUME!!!)
7. back up shoes (heels break a lot easier then you think)
8. bandaids (blisters and as gross as this sounds...it prevents camel toes...no one wants to see your swimsuit in your hooo ha)
9. lotion (dry skin on stage is a no no)
10. safety pins (incase of any wardrobe malfunctions, they are your lifesaver!)