ASK HOPE....NPC Athlete Hope Taylor Answers Your Questions
1) Gale, Charleston South Carolina - Hope I was so
inspired after reading your interview with ABFITT. What a whirlwind of
accomplishment in such short period of time. How as a mother did you
find the time to plan, focus and complete multiple
contests?
Hi Gale! Thank you so very much for your kind
words. You actually hit the nail on the head while asking your question.
In efforts to accomplish 4 contests in five months a lot of planning
and focus was involved.
I started my preparation for these shows in January
about 20 weeks out. It gave me plenty of time to see how my body
responded to certain training techniques and diet regiments. I worked
with two coaches that kept me on track with the planning
at that stage of the game and then continued on with what they taught
me until the close of the season.
I tend to thrive with challenges and structure. I
believe it energizes me to stay on track when I’m feeling great about my
goals and the positivity that I saw both physically, but even more
spiritually. It helped me to be an even more balanced
mother, professional and athlete to push myself in this sort of way.
I completed my morning workout and cooking before
my daughter even opened her eyes for the day. I got very creative with
the time we shared outside of my career and gym obligations. I allowed
her to pick special activities and trips we
could do as rewards for time away a few nights a week at the gym and I
usually worked out Saturday and Sunday since we had the majority of our
day together. She never complained once and was a huge help with my
prep. I encouraged her to be apart of it and
at the very end we went out to eat at her favorite restaurants! She
LOVED being an instrumental part of my prep, watching me compete and the
fact that she could call her mommy a 3 time Bikini Champion!
2) Anthony, Salt Lake City Utah - Any thought to tying for an IFBB pro card or competing on the WBFF stage?
Hi Anthony! Sure, the thought of competing on a
national stage has been a serious consideration for 2014. Although, I
won’t compete in a national show unless I am confident I will place. I
try to be extremely realistic with myself and my
ability in the sport. I don’t want to waste my time, money or put my
body through the stress of contest prep without a successful plan to
win.
I’m still learning how my body responds to training
and diet. Another tricky thing to learn is how to dry out for a show. I
have it down to a science now, but that’s only because I’ve been
through the process a few times and found what
worked best for me.
I’m in the building phase of prepping for 2014
shows. My first show will be a very big one in May. Depending how I feel
then I will map out the rest of the year.
3) Bonny, Dallas Texas - Hope can you describe a day
of contest prep nutrition compared to your off season eating. Best
wishes with your future plans.
Hi Bonny! Sure, absolutely and thank you for your
well wishes. I love the support. Well on a typical day right now I still
eat relatively clean. It’s the same diet with less focus on cutting to
lean out. I enjoy 4 egg whites with one whole
egg and 1 cup of oats for breakfast. Usually a protein shake in about
2-3 hrs. I have 4-6oz of turkey burger, 1/2 cup brown rice and a green
veggie for lunch. A snack a few hours after will usually consist of
natural peanut butter on unsalted rice cakes or
15 almonds in efforts to consume my healthy fats. Then I’ll have
another shake. Dinner usually consists of the 4-6oz of protein and
smaller portion of complex carbohydrates. During contest prep I will
measure more precisely. I cut out the whole egg and go
down to ¼ cups of oats with breakfast. Where you see my lunch and
dinner I will eat only 3-4oz of protein and alternate with fish. Where
you see shakes I won’t drink them any more at about 12 weeks out and
replace them with 3-4 oz of protein and small portion
of complex carbohydrate. I regularly aim to drink a gallon of water
each day.
4) Carmen, Newark New Jersey - Loved your interview,
I was very curious how your friends & family and even coworkers
feel about your contests and getting in such great shape.
Hi Carmen! Great question you have for me.
Truthfully, it hasn’t always been easy. I think with any change in
lifestyle there are critics from both ends of the spectrum. I think at
the beginning of my journey a lot of my friends, family
and coworkers where questioning what I was doing and how it was going
to impact our connection. I didn’t really talk much about it as I was
learning and didn’t feel I even knew enough to talk about it early on.
Your question is so simple, but there has been such
a wide variety of reactions from so many people in my life that it’s
difficult to answer specifically. What I try to focus on is the
positivity it’s brought to my life and the quality
of friendships, family and coworkers. I am so incredibly thankful to
those that support me and love me unconditionally. Those are the people I
will always make time for and help in anyway I can. I don’t give much
thought to those that don’t respect my level
of participation in the sport or the discipline I have to diet and
train as I do. I understand what makes me the best I can be may not work
for the next person.
5) Emily, Tempe Arizona - What advice can you offer
to someone on the fence about doing a NPC bikini contest? Do I find a
trainer or should I attempt it on my own by reading and doing research? I
am excited but scared. Thanks.
Hi Emily! I remember the day someone suggested I
compete. I thought how amazing it would be, but I had no clue how to get
to the stage. Then I sat down and wrote out everything I felt I needed
to answer for myself. What are my limitations?
How can I change them? What are the tools I need to get there?
It was coupled with exactly your second question. I
did as MUCH research as I could on my own and even to this day I still
learn. Confidence comes with understanding and with different stages
along your journey. It’s a completely natural
feeling to feel the way you do.
In my opinion, you should work with a trainer and
one that has a focus on contest prep. I worked with TEAM Edge out of
California after learning how serious metabolic damage can be and how
important it is to find a trainer that cares more
about you than just taking your money. They were extremely insightful
on the process, diet, training and posing mandatories. I even purchased
my suit from them. Not only do you become their client, but you become
part of their family which has grown so much
over the last few years. My teammates have been extremely helpful and
instrumental to my successes as well.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1vO2i4mn9E&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Check out Hope Taylor's video by clicking link above
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Thank you ABFITT for the opportunity to connect with some of your loyal readers about my journey. The interest that they have shown is truly remarkable and inspires me to stay the course!
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