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Rituals is a monthly column that appears on the obscure beauty routines and sacred acts of self self-care different professionals practice as they prepare for a typical event. Born and raised within the Worcestershire area, 40-year-old Dawn Shillingford has been participating in bodybuilding competitions for just over three years. From training preparation and her gruelling tanning process to how bodybuilding makes her feel and the reactions she receives with regard to her look, here she shares her experiences.

I’ve been bodybuilding for just over three years now. Originally I joined the gym for something to do within the evening moderately than going out after which just got the bug as soon as my body began to vary. I believed I’d quite prefer to do a contest and from then on it became an absolute passion. What I find exciting about bodybuilding is just how dynamic your body is and the way it reacts to the slightest little tweaks to the food plan or training. It’s really addictive to see the changes in your body.

Preparation for a contest begins either 12 or 16 weeks prior, starting with a low-carb food plan given to you by the prep coach that you simply follow religiously, right as much as the competition. I train really hard during this time and can spend 4 hours a day within the gym. Within the last couple of weeks of coaching, you narrow right down to lower weights than normal because your body fat could be very, very low – around 3-4 per cent body fat. This implies you are prone to injuries because your body hasn’t got the nutrition to repair itself. Two or three days before competition day you begin water loading where you drink seven to eight litres of water a day to flush your body out after which 24 hours before you go onstage, you narrow all water out. This dehydrates you and offers you that tightness to your look. Also, your body holds more fluids if it’s stressed so the day of the competition, I just attempt to chill out and stay calm.

By way of appearance, you begin exfoliating just a few days before the competition to arrange your body for the tan. The explanation bodybuilders tan is to point out off muscle definition. In the event you are too pale you possibly can’t really see any definition however the minute you’ve got tan all the things shows up. Each men and girls also shave every little bit of hair off their body for a similar reason – so you possibly can see all of the definition to their muscles. I really like the tan although no person else seems to! The day before the competition you place on a thick base-coat, after which the day itself you place one other coat on. The tan shouldn’t be identical to normal, spray on tan. It’s called Liquid Sunrayz they usually don’t water it down so it’s really thick and really dark. Then just before you go on stage, they glaze you with an oil so that you’re all shiny.

Relating to my make-up and nails I prefer to match with the bikini I’m wearing. It’s normally quite sparkly. I’m not superb with make-up and I don’t wear much but I do put it on myself. My essential thing is fake eyelashes, I live in false eyelashes. I’ve got really short hair for the time being which takes quite a number of taming so I do use quite a number of hairspray and wax and I at all times have my nails done because I get acrylics. I also use a glittery spray which I really like from Claire’s Accessories, it’s like a silver spray so that you’re all glittery. Once I’m all glazed I put it on as somewhat extra that no person else has.

How I feel about myself during a contest is determined by my condition on the day. If I’m really pleased with my condition, then I do feel really proud. I wouldn’t say I feel beautiful but I feel proud. I do know the graft that went into it.

That said, I get really insecure about my body. Really paranoid. I at all times think I’ve got an excessive amount of fat on my body or I’m too small or I’m too big. I at all times feel like I might be higher than what I’m. My body is my biggest insecurity, which is bizarre because before I began training I used to be really super confident. But now I’m so conscious of it especially if I’m just out doing normal stuff. Within the winter, whenever you’re somewhat bit fluffy it’s not so bad however the last two weeks before competitions, I actually have very low body fat and look quite masculine and harsh because there’s nothing within the tissues. So I at all times cover up as much as possible once I’m out since it draws attention to you. I’ve never really had any bad things said to me, although they probably say it behind my back. People do come as much as me and say ‘oh could you help us with the food plan plan?’ Or ‘how do you get like that?’ On the entire, it’s normally positive but I do know a few of the guys sometimes get abuse after they’re out. I’ve been quite lucky thankfully.

Since I’ve grow to be a bodybuilder, my perception of beauty has modified because I do see quite a number of individuals who train hard and look good but they wouldn’t be the nicest characters. So I very much think that your beauty is inside, it doesn’t matter the way you good you look should you’re black inside it’s not going to vary it by looking good outside. I do very much think that it’s inner beauty more so than outer.

This text was originally published 30 November 2018.