Are you becoming obsessed? Live life a little!

So you want that perfect six pack, toned legs, nice glutes? This is something that we work hard for but how much is too much? There is so much in the media about anorexia, obesity and bulimia but not much information about exercise and healthy eating obsession, also termed as orthorexia nervosa, which I believe is just as bad. This is when you begin to obsess about every workout, every meal and it transforms into an unhealthy addiction.  This is something that I spoke to women about recently at a seminar and it’s something that I feel strongly about.

I am definitely dedicated to what I do and absolutely love healthy eating and fitness. When I am competing I am 100% focused on the end goal but if I ever begin obsessing about every little thing then I take a step back to re-evaluate as this is when it begins to get unhealthy. Time and time again, I have seen women get obsessed with exercise and healthy eating. There is a HUGE difference between prepping for a competition and living a healthy lifestyle.  Prepping for a competition is for a short amount of time, usually 12 weeks with a very strict diet, and if you are competing stick to this as much as you can to have the best end result. However, living a healthy lifestyle is about maintaining that type of exercise and nutrition for your life. If you are obsessing over having a slice of cheesecake, are you really living your life? As long as you eat these treats in moderation you will be fine.

Too much exercise and the body will begin to break down and you will be more susceptible to the flu. Removing whole food groups for an extended period of time can actually have a negative effect on the body and you may not be as healthy as what you think you are. Remember why you started exercising and healthy eating, it was to lead a healthy lifestyle and once it becomes an obsession this is no longer the case and you may be doing your body more harm than good. This can also put a strain on relationships as people begin to avoid friends house or restaurants for dinner.

Just remember that we are all real human beings, if you have been eating healthy the majority of the time and eat piece of cake don’t feel guilty, savour that delicious flavour. Have fun, live life a little and lead a healthy lifestyle! 


Here's a pic of me with some of the women I spoke to xx

Tips for avoiding post-comp blues!

After months of hard work, you have done it! You stood on stage wearing a sparkly bikini, tan, false eyelashes, clear shoes and gave it everything. You competed, you were in the best shape of your life and it felt great but now what! You’re back home, your skin is all patchy from the tan and you can feel the weight creeping back on.

Suddenly after all of those weeks counting down to the show , it is all over. You can be left with post contest blues where you can feel quite lost and unfocused. This is very common. The cookies, chips and icecream overload doesn’t help and it can be quite scary thinking what is next?

After coming back from Pittsburgh, not performing at my best, I was left thinking what should I do next? As soon as I got back to New Zealand I begin to write down some new goals to keep me focused and to keep me motivated. I decided to learn as much as I could from the experience, leave it in the past and focus on my next goal. 

Below are some tips to keep you focused:

Get Back Into the Gym: Do some light training and slowly get back into your routine. This will help keep you positive and will stop you from feeling that you are gaining too much weight. It also means you can start work on your weaknesses straight away to make sure that you improve for next time.

Focus on your next goals: It is important to establish some more goals and to keep working towards them. This doesn’t have to be competition goals; it can be life, work or other goals.

Keep your Diet Clean: While you can have some treats, try to keep your main meals clean. Since coming back from Pittsburgh, I will admit that I have had desert most nights but I have kept most of my other meals clean.

Spend time with your loved ones: During comp prep it is very hard to find time to spend with your loved ones. It is important to make sure that they know how much their support meant to you during your prep. Have fun and go out for a nice dinner with them and enjoy it!

Make sure that you have some goals in place after your competition to keep you focused and remember at the end of the day it’s not all about competing, it’s about living a healthy and happy lifestyle.

The fun adventures of my first pro show!

I just arrived back from the Pittsburgh Pro at 5am yesterday morning and then went straight back into work and into my normal routine. I am very exhausted! I loved the Pittsburgh Pro and although there were many disasters, I am still happy to have stepped on the stage as a pro and I now know what I need to improve on for my next show. Every thing you do in life, no matter if it turns out good or bad, is a learning experience, take everything you can from it to better yourself and return stronger than ever- this to me is what it takes to be a champion.

My pro debut started with many hours flying in a plane and as many of you know, when you are days out from a show flying on the plane is not the best. After stopping in LA, we picked up some chicken and steak to take on the way... next thing we know it is leaking all through the airport... meat juices leaking everywhere! Moe went to throw one of the bags away and people kept asking me if I knew it was leaking and I just replied “Yes he has gone to find someone to clean it up”, we then quickly ran through customs and then cleaned in all up with plastic bags on the carpet next to bins haha! Next time I think we will take some containers. We then proceeded to the gates only to find that apparently our seats had been taken but the flight attendants figured it all out and finally we boarded the plane.

Moe and I arrived in Pittsburgh many hours later, it is a beautiful city! We stayed in the host hotel and the atmosphere was buzzing with all of the athletes everywhere. I went to the competitors meeting that night and every woman looked amazing. It was awesome to see some of my inspirations in real life. That night I got my spray tan by Jan Tana and then got locked out of my room wearing only a big old t-shirt and guess who happened to walk past... Phil Heath. He was staying in the room next to me and it was slightly embarrassing standing there locked outside my room!

One of the highlights of my trip was sitting in the room with Adela Garcia (5x Miss Olympia Fitness) and Sonia Gonzales (Miss Bikini International 2012 and Miss Bikini Olympia 2010). They both are such beautiful people and helped me with my posing. I thank them both for their help and advice.

The day came around and I was ready to hit the stage but wait... my tan had gone green! It was only an hour before I was set to go on stage and I didn’t have enough time to fix it, I just had to go hulk styles and do it. To top it off, the makeup made me look like I had red dirt on my face and my hair style all fell out. Now if that’s not bad luck I don’t know what is. Every possible thing went wrong but I still went out there and competed. It was a great learning experience for me and one that I will never forget.

After pre-judging I went back to the hotel and Moe fixed up my tan so that I at least didn’t look green for the night show. After the night show we went out for a delicious dinner... now this was no ordinary ride to the restaurant. I was squished in the middle between Kai Greene and Moe ElMoussawi with Dexter Jackson in the front of the car. Now if you have never seen Kai Greene in real life, this guy is huge! He is also one of the most down to earth guys and kept apologising for squishing me. I had four plates of delicious dessert that night – post comp treats. We started to walk back to the hotel to catch our flight at 4am and we got lost. When we finally found our way back to the hotel, our taxi driver forgot to come so we nearly missed our flight. Running through the airport, Moe had to nearly save a woman from being crushed by a door, then we grabbed some post comp treats and we got on the flight just in time.

It was such a fun adventure and I am so grateful to have competed on a pro stage. While the result may not have been want I had wanted, there is a reason for everything happening to make me learn, to make me stronger and to make sure that when I come back to the stage again I will be better than ever!

Thank you NZIFBB for this amazing opportunity and thank you Moe for everything that you have done and for all of the laughs.

And thanks to all of you for your support! x

Prep for my pro debut at the Pittsburgh Pro.... 6 days to go!!

Hi All,

I thought I would give you all a small insight into my preparation for my pro debut at the Pittsburgh Pro. I am very excited and honored to be competing in one of the top pro shows in America and undoubtedly the world.  

Some of you may know that the Pittsburgh pro show is highly regarded and is run by the legendary Jim Manion. It is a great show to start off my pro career as I will be competing with some of the top bikini pros and it will be a great way to see where I am at and what I need to improve on. I am so honored to be stepping on stage with some of my idols and women that inspired me to compete in bikini including Jaime Baird, Dianna Graham, India Paulino, Heather Nappi and Tawna Eubanks. To be just stepping on stage with them is a dream come true and is motivating me to do the best I can and make New Zealand proud.

This show prep has probably been the hardest on me mentally and physically. Anyone who has competed in a show will know the emotions that you have running through your head right until you hit that stage. I am blessed to be surrounded by an amazing support network who have eliminated any doubts that I have in my mind and kept pushing me to reach my goal. I am more motivated that I have ever been and have been training very hard to gain muscle and display a better package on stage.

In the last few days I have shaken my routine and added in cardio sessions and dropped carb intake. For my Arnold preparation I didn’t do much cardio so it has been good to be able to mix up my routine and see how my body reacts. When that last rep or minute of cardio is too painful, I push through the pain barrier knowing that I have a mission to achieve – to be the best that I can be!!

Thanks to my amazing family, friends and partner… you continuously inspire me, push me and encourage me to be the best I can be. Also thanks to my partner for watching me doing my posing for hours and helping me to make sure that my posing is perfect when I hit the stage. I would like to thank Nutrigenix and NZIFBB for their continuous support. The Nutrigenix supplements have definitely helped me recover from my hard training sessions!

I fly out on Wednesday and compete on Saturday. I am excited, motivated and inspired to do my best!

Thank you for all of your support and for believing in me xx

PRO CARD!!!

I am very excited to announce that I have received my pro card.

It is a dream come true and a goal that I have been working towards. Thanks NZIFBB, Moe and Nutrigenix for this amazing opportunity, I am so grateful and honoured. Also a big thanks to the people who have supported, inspired and been there for me on this exiting journey.

I am competing in my first pro show in 2 weeks and I will be the first nz bikini pro to compete.

Never give up on your goals and dreams, they will come true if you work hard xx

Dealing with peer pressure and staying on track

Peer pressure is something that I deal with on a daily basis- from my colleagues at work tempting me with cake to feeling pressured to skip workouts to go to events. While I have never been the type to be peer pressured into anything, it still happens and is something that we all have to deal with.  I am lucky to have such a great support system who encourage and motivate me to aim for the top.

Growing up I was always the girl that ate McDonalds for every meal and could eat anyone under the table in an eating competition. When I first started competing, I had to change my nutrition to get my body into optimum condition but people couldn’t understand why I had to eat a certain way.  People would say “relax a little, eat this burger, eat that donut”. While it is important to have a few treats every now and again, sticking to your diet is what will create the body of your dreams – after all abs are made in the kitchen!

My parents are the most important people in my life and at first they did not understand my lifestyle and it left me upset and it felt like they weren’t supporting me. After feeling this way, I decided to sit down with them and explain the lifestyle, my goals and dreams, the reason why I wanted to compete and that their support is what would help me accomplish this. After doing this, I have had their full support and understanding – they even ask me for tips!

I suggest talking to those closest to you about your goals and ask them to not tempt you with food that isn’t on your plan. There are many times when I have to sacrifice going to see my friends, partner and family, to go to the gym and I am lucky that I have the support and understanding from them. Education is also key. If the people closest to you understand the lifestyle, they will be able to support you better on your fitness journey. 

Most of all go out there, do something towards your goals every day and do what makes you happy. If it makes you happy, this will reflect on others. 

Arnold Amateur - 4th Place!

After months of hard work the Arnold Amateur is over and I placed 4^th in my class. I still cannot believe it and im truly honoured to have stepped on the Arnold stage.

Leading up to the competition Claire and I were very lucky to have Moe ElMoussawi watching over us and preparing our bodies to be in the best shape possible.  I was also very lucky to have Xtreme Nutrition and Nutrigenix sponsoring me with the supplements I needed. Thanks to Moe and Johanna we got to stay at their beautiful home in the last few days before we left. They cooked us many yummy meals (Moe is a great cook), gave us tons of advice and pushed our bodies to their limits at the gym! His little girls also left us cute little messages of support around the house and gym. Without them none of this would have been possible and I will be forever grateful for everything they have done.  

On the last day before our flight he said, “right you girls are ready, now hold that condition”. Ekkk we had hours on a plane and still 2 more days before we were to step on stage, how were we going to hold that condition? After freaking out a little, Moe assured us that we would be fine, told us what to do and said that he was proud of us regardless of the outcome.

Dialling in on those last few days before a comp is hard, but adding several plane trips on to it makes it even harder. It was definitely a great learning experience. I packed all my meals in my tupperware and headed to the airport. Reality finally set in as I was boarding the plane, I was actually going to the ARNOLD CLASSIC. After 12 hours I landed in LA. I was very lucky to have Johanna’s brother pick me up and took me to see Claire. From there we headed with Moe’s cousin, and he cooked us some delicious chicken for our next flights. Both of them were so lovely and really looked after us. After another 8 hours plane ride with several stopovers, we landed in Ohio. The airport was buzzing with athletes from all around the world.

We arrived at our hotel and decided to go on a mission to find food... and what a mission that was. We took a taxi to the nearest shopping mall but they didn’t have a grocery store. We walked for a long time to find the nearest place that could cook us up some meals. We found a lovely place that cooked us up lots of chicken and salads with no oil, flavourings or dressings. By the time we got back to the hotel it was night time and the night before pre-judging. We got in our bikinis and helped each other with last minute posing then headed to bed.

Waking up on the morning of pre-judging, I was filled with so many emotions – happiness, excitement, nervousness! We headed to go get our tans and what an experience that was. Booth after booth of girls getting tanned and then all standing there drying - definitely a different experience to the one here in New Zealand. The tans colour was beautiful, thank you Jan Tana!  We then lined up in the convention centre to register and then headed back stage to get ready for pre-judging. All of the girls were so perfect in their itty bitty bikinis, I started freaking out and wondering if I even deserved to be there. Claire assured me that I was looking good and to focus. I thought about all the hard work I had put in and in my mind told myself I can do this. Putting my sparkly emerald bikini on I started to feel my confidence come back. I was ready! Class A was called out and I watched the girls on the big screen back stage. Every single girl looked amazing, I definitely would not like to be a judge. Finally after they had gone through all the bikini classes, Class F was called. I just kept repeating in my head I can do this, I can do this. “Number 250 - Jessica Pendergrast from New Zealand”, I stepped out on stage and saw all the judges staring back at me and gave it everything I had. We then all lined up on stage and they called out the girls for the top callouts –“Number 250”... omg that’s my number! Stepping out on stage, I was proud to be a New Zealander. An hour later I was anxiously waiting back stage to see if I had made top 10. They called my number and I was jumping back stage.... ahhh I had made top 10 and was going to the finals! I had to keep checking the piece of paper to make sure that my number had actually been called out.

On the Friday, Claire and I got to explore the Arnold expo. We got to meet some of our inspirations including Ava Cowan, Amanda Latona, Flex Lewis, Jennifer Nicole Lee, Felicia Romero and Vanessa Campbell. The expo is unlike anything I can describe. If you love anything to do with sports and fitness this is an event that you have to attend. Just being there inspires you to better yourself in all aspects of life.

Finals came around on Saturday and I was super excited. We all got lead through the expo and went backstage ready to step on stage in front of thousands of people. I stood back stage, with the music pumping, and was so overwhelmed by everything. I took a few minutes to just reflect on the journey – all of the support I had back home in New Zealand, the hard work I had put in and all the highs and lows along the way. It was such a privilege to step on stage in the top 10. Then they announced the top 5 and I was amazed my number was called. We then went back on stage and I was announced as 4^th. Words cannot describe the excitement of being announced as 4th in the world in my class. It was really a dream come true!

It was a real honour to represent New Zealand on an international stage. If you are sitting there reading this, think about what you want to achieve. Life is too short to just sit there and blend into the crowd. Set a reasonable goal and do everything you can to achieve it. Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it. 

Gorgeous bikini for Arnolds!

I just received my suit for the Arnolds and it is absolutely stunning. I would like to say a huge thank you to Cynthia James at CJ’s Elite Competition Wear for sponsoring my bikini for the Arnolds. I am so lucky and honoured to step on stage in a bikini from CJ.

She knows how you have to look and custom makes every suit down to each stone. I can’t wait to wear it on stage! Her suits may be slightly more expensive than other companies but why would you invest so much time into the gym and your nutrition to cut corners with you suit? You deserve to wear a suit that will make you feel a million dollars on stage and I can guarantee that you will with a suit from CJ.

Stepping on stage with a bikini that you feel gorgeous in is important to help you feel confident. CJ is the best choice to getting your bikini or figure competition suit. She is lovely to deal with and every detail of the bikini is perfect. She makes suits for nearly all of the pros including bikini pros - Nicole Nagrani, Jamie Baird and Dianna Dahlgren.

I can’t wait to step on stage - less than a week to go!

Go Figure Interview and Video

Yesterday, Lisa from GoFigure interviewed me about my preparation up to the Arnolds.

Check out the interview here and the video below

Thanks Moe ElMoussawi and Lisa for this opportunity. 

Nutrigenix

I am very excited to announce that I am now a sponsored athlete and part of the Nutrigenix team. I am very honoured to be a part of this team alongside our top New Zealand athletes including Moe ElMoussawi, Nuria Novoa and Raechelle Chase.

One of my goals for 2012 was to become a sponsored athlete and I am lucky to be a part of this high quality brand.

They have a fantastic range of products that have really helped me in preparing for the Arnolds.  I highly recommend them. If you are in New Zealand you can check them out at http://www.xtremenutrition.co.nz/ or if you are overseas check out http://www.nutrigenix.net/

Beach Photoshoot

Yesterday I had a photoshoot at the beach with my favourite photographers, Peter and Rosemary Morris. They make an awesome team and put time into every aspect of the photo to make sure that you come out with the photos that you want.

In the morning it was pouring with rain (typical New Zealand weather) but I decided that I was going to tough it out regardless of the weather. By the afternoon most of the rain had cleared and we managed to get in some great shots.

For anyone keen to do a photoshoot for any reason check them out here - http://www.photoshoot.co.nz/. They are so professional and will make you feel amazing.

Check out the fun video below!

Exciting news - I am going to the Arnold Amateurs!

Today I am very excited to announce that I have been selected to be a part of the New Zealand team going to the Arnold Amateur in Ohio, America.

It still hasn't quite sunk in. It is less than a year ago that I decided to set myself a goal and compete in my first fitness competition. I won the NZIFBB bikini division in Auckland and qualified to compete for Nationals. For the next six months I focused on winning nationals and for anyone that knows me personally they know that once I set my heart on something I will give it everything I have. From regionals I seeked advice on how I could improve and bring my best package to nationals. At nationals I won the tall divison and then won overalls. All of my hard work and dedication paid off!

To every person that has ever thought about competing, give it a go. Nothing is stopping you! You don't want to be sitting there when you are older and looking back wishing that you had done more in your life. I set a goal and I am now off to the Arnolds and this is far more than I could have dreamed of. I would like to thank my friends, family and NZIFBB for their support and belief in me.

Now it's time to put in the hard yards to achieve my best possible physique and do all that I can to make New Zealand proud.