A few months ago, I thought that it would be a great idea to become a bikini competitor. For those of you that know nothing of this world, bikini competitors are a class division within the body building world. We work out, train, and prepare as any other body builder would. The main difference in the appearance of the bikini competitors body, versus the traditional body builders body is the way we eat. There’s a saying in the trianing circuit that you eat for your goals. So bikini competitors eat in a specific way to achieve a very specific body type.
I figured that since I already work out, eat healthy and make swimsuits, it would be the perfect culmination of everything I love doing. Plus, the exposure would bring about some buzz for my swimline, Nager By Nic Hyl (www.nagerbynichyl.com), because naturally I will be wearing my suits in the competitions I compete in.
I’ve learned so much about not only myself on this journey, but also fitness, health, and to some degree, I’m a better swim designer as a result. I’ve been sculpting and carving out my body’s best version of itself with gruiling training sessions (thanks in part to an amazing coach I have from a gym in New York-Courage Fitness Club), extremely strict diets, and hyper-sensitive attention to detail with every aspect of my appearance. I’ve pushed myself to my physical and mental limits, and survived. I’ve entered into the depths of a world that few get to see-and learned that amongst the fitness elite, the same insecurities and self doubt live in women with seamingly perfect bodies.
What I learned most is that even though we all know that perfection is unattainable, we still strive to be as perfect as we can be. Within that I try to simply be better than the person I was yesterday, knowing that perfection is elusive at best and trying to be perfect will only drive me insane. I make the choice, daily, to focus instead on continualy improving who I am, and being a good human. I have to say, I’m proud not only of the body I’ve built, but the evolution of my mind and the new perspectives that I’ve gained.
Nic’s Better Body tips:
Drink water: My coach has me drink a gallon per day. This is to hydrate and to replenish the body with the amount of sweat I lose. It also helps with hunger, fatigue, skin, digestion, hair, nails, you name it!
Eat well: My diet is extremely healthy. I put great, healthy food that is high in protein and low in carbs into my body (I’m 10 days out from a competition, so my diest is at it’s most strict). My body is a fat burning machine, and I’m seeing the muscle gains and improvement because of how I fuel it.
Exercise regularly: I impart a regular combination of cardio, weight training and H.I.I.T, the variety keeps my body guessing so that there is no risk of muscle memory. I’ve seen the most results by combining all 3 of these practices, and varying my routine daily.
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