Melissa Pearo

I’m headed to Vegas this weekend to watch the Olympia.  I’ll be cheering for my friend Natalie Benson in figure, who placed 2nd at the Europa.  For fitness, it’s the one who got me started in all this craziness in the first place, Jen Hendershott.  I’m looking forward to a somewhat relaxing weekend.  Of course if you see me, I’ll be toting my ice chest full of chicken, fish, cream of rice, and veggies.  I’ve decided to do the West Palm Beach show just 2 weeks after the O.  I’m really getting excited about being back on stage.  This has been the longest strecth I’ve gone between shows, but I was needing some much needed rest and food!!!!

After that, I’ll be headed to Sacramento on Nov 3 for my final show this year.  I’m hoping for a top 10 placing at both shows and then take an extended off-season and try and make some improvements for next year.

Well, my pro debut is done and not quite the results I wanted.  My goal was top 10, and I missed it by 1 place.  My intentions were to call it good for the year and take some much needed time off, as the Europa was my 9th competion within 12 months.  However, not being satisfied with ending the year at 11th, I’m going to give it one more try at the Sacramento Pro Figure on Nov. 3.  After that, I’ll take a few months and have a proper off-season and see what improvements I can make. 

I can’t believe the resonse and nice messages received since first posting my Europa blog.  I’d like to share a little about my normal life with everyone.  First of all, I don’t live in the gym.  I have a regular full-time day job.  I’ve been employeed as a Software Engineer by the Federal Aviation Administration for 15 years.  I currently maintain the collision avoidance software system used by air traffic at the 32 busiest airports in the U.S..  I work 9 hour days Mon-Fri.      

One of the most asked frequently asked questions I get is, "How long do you spend in the gym a day?".   I think this is an important question to answer truthfully because so many people think you must live in the gym to get real results.  I do 45 minutes of cardio 6 days a week.  I try to to this at 6am each morning, but just as often as not, I end up sleeping a little late and end up having to find time during the day to get in the cardio.  I am fortunate to have a gym located on the Federal campus where I work, so am able to do my cardio on my lunch break if I over sleep.  After work, it’s back to the gym for my regular weight workout (around 45 min) and sometimes posing practice.  I try to be home by 8:30 each evening, which gives me enough time to repack my gym bag, pack my meals for the next day, do a little regular house work, then get to bed….BY 10:00PM!!!!  I think adequate sleep is definately one of the things that helps me the most and keeps me functioning day in and day out.

I’ve often been told I have great genetics for this sport.  While that may be true, I’m not exactly sure where these great genetics come from.  I was not athletic in high school, and there is obesity and diebetes in my immediate family.  So with that being said, I think it is accurate to say that hard work and determination are the keys to success. 

For all those women who compete with families, all I can say is, "WOW!!!!".  I know my schedule is challenging and often tests my determination, but to add a family on top of it would be more than I could handle. 

Like I said, I’ve truely been amazed at the number of responses and questions received so far by my BodySpace profile.  Funny thing is, even though I’m employeed as a Software Engineer, I rarely spend time on the computer outside of work.  In fact, I’ve never even been to MySpace and didn’t even realize the number of message forums dedicated to competitors until recently.  I’ll definately try to answer any questions and respond as quickly as possible.  I’m usually very busy during the week, so weekends are when I try to get caught up on my hobby and personal email. 

Thank you for all the support and encouraging messages.  I hope to make a good pro debut at the Europa and prove to everyone that a regular, working, 30-something year old woman can do well in this sport, and "living in the gym" is not necessary. 

Last year at this time, I was preparing for my first show in Oklahoma.  As part of my prep, I decided to head to Dallas to watch the Europa, as I never seen a show before.  While attending the expo, I was approached by one of the show’s expiditors who asked if I would be doing the amateur show the next day.  I explained I had never seen a show, but was preparing for my first one to be 3 weeks later in Oklahoma.  After a lengthy conversation, he somehow managed to talk me into registering for the NPC show - for the next day!!!!  It turned out to be an unbelievable experience.  I was so unprepared and had no idea what I was doing, but managed to place 2nd in my class.  I was definately hooked and ready to work even harder for the show in Oklahoma.  Turns out I liked competing so much, I did a total of 4 shows within 10 weeks and won 3 overall titles.  For 2007, I placed 6th at the Arnold Amateur, won the overall at the Ronnie Coleman, won my class at Jr. USA’s and earned a pro card at Jr. Nationals…….   All this in a short 10 months from even deciding I’d give competing a try.  Now, one year later, I’m headed back to the Europa, but this time as a pro.  It will be my pro debut and I can’t wait.  I already feel like I’ve achieved so much in so little time. 

As I think back to last year on competition day, I have to laugh at how unprepared I was; my suits didn’t fit, I didn’t know how to pose, I put on make-up as if I was going out for the day, I hadn’t followed a strict diet, I’d never worked with a trainer or nutritionist, and was basically winging everything.  I never would have thought only a year later I’d be on the pro stage.  

So, if you’ve ever asked yourself, "Should I try competing?", I would definately say give it a try.  All it takes is hard work, dedication, lots of sweat, and determination.  Anything is possible, but you have to put your best effort forward and go for it.