"Enjoy the journey. This is for yourself, not for others. So stick with your boundaries and what your goals are.” —Audrey LaFleur
Being an athlete is not just about lifting weights or adhering strictly to a diet. It involves juggling personal responsibilities, and this can sometimes take a toll. Therefore, understanding how to balance time between these essential roles is vital.
A well-planned schedule is at the core of a successful bodybuilding journey. It allows you to avoid overtraining, manage fatigue levels, and harmonize bodybuilding with other commitments. By being efficient, the resulting progress can be astronomical, which further contributes to your athletic prowess and general well-being.
This week, we are joined by Audrey Lafleur, the Founder and Master Cosmetic Tattooist of Wonderland Micropigment. Join in as Sherrie and Audrey discuss how athletes can improve their knowledge in the sport, the hard part of prep, balancing your time for bodybuilding and other responsibilities, the importance of scheduling, what self-care means, and the power of doing extra.
Connect with Sherrie:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherrie.massiakapach
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mindbodysoul_hypnothetapist
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherrie-kapach-b5bb26243
Email: skapach40@gmail.com
Episode Highlights:
01:36 Finding the Missing Link
03:43 The Hardest Part
05:48 How to Get Better
09:06 The Importance of Scheduling
10:10 The Importance of Self-Care
Sherrie Kapach: Welcome to Beyond The Prep. I'm your host, Sherrie Kapach. I'd like to welcome Audrey LaFleur. Thank you for coming and taking the time out. You're competing today, and your time is very busy.
Audrey LaFleur: Yeah, that's right.
Sherrie Kapach: How long have you been inspired?
Audrey LaFleur: I started my journey in 2015. The first client of Ryan actually is (inaudible). Went in there.
Sherrie Kapach: So what got you into bodybuilding?
Audrey LaFleur: I felt something was missing in my life, I felt I was going down, and I met my friend, Mark, who passed away in the team. Sorry about this, but that's true. So I'm here for Mark. And Mark was a member of (inaudible). But anyway, it enriches the meaning to the jury. So I did my first show with MP in 2015, and I found out I was pregnant with my son. But that was great. When my doctors said just do it, because I found out a couple of days before and my coach, we agreed to do it. That's why my son, his name is Gabriel. That's my little blessing. And then after that, I did another show postpartum, and I got booked. I took a break, and now I'm back.
Sherrie Kapach: So what did you find, did you know anything about bodybuilding when you went into it?
Audrey LaFleur: I knew a bit. My dad used to train, but not into competition. So I saw him a lot at the gym taking care of himself. They're both male. So I was always interested in that. However, at the gym, I always felt good. So that's where the bodybuilding part came into more in the serious way because you feel good, it's in the mind as well. Actually, when I train, I listen to a lot of podcasts and things like this, so it's helped me. I'm new to anything.
Sherrie Kapach: Yeah. So what do you find the hardest part? You're going on stage today. You've come a long way. Congratulations. It's fabulous. What's the hardest part of prep for you?
Audrey LaFleur: I can't lie, prep is hard. But it can be, I think, simple. Not easy. It's not easy. But I think it can be simple. And this prep, I think, has been very amazing, fun. It was hard, actually fitting my time. As a busy mom, time management is something you need to manage. Every minute is important. And it's true. Because if you lose your time 5, 10, 15 minutes, then you miss this. Then also you can think of you, and then the business or work. You need to work, make money, and then you have to fit in your gym, and then cook for everybody and all that, and then you don't burn yourself. You want to enjoy it. So time management. So I have an amazing group sport that helped me to work with that. For example, starting today, wake up at 5:00 AM and you can accomplish so much. Before, I had a hard time. And now, it's just easy. Of course, at the beginning, it's hard. But then you create a momentum, write the things in your journey.
Sherrie Kapach: So how is it doing this with children?
Audrey LaFleur: Well, that's the thing. My kids, I think I'm blessed. They are really great, and they have been very collaborating. Love getting up in the morning, being the first at school. So that feels very fun to see if they love to be first. And it's cool. Yes, I can go to the gym right away. So those things. Sometimes my daughter had a lot of tantrums. So of course, it's hard. You have to deal with this and be patient. But it's worth it.
Sherrie Kapach: Yeah. Yeah. Nice. So what do you do now that you wish you would have known when you first started out?
Audrey LaFleur: Well, that's the thing. Time management. Of course, I have more experience so it's easier. What they should know is, you have to do everything that your coach tells you, follow to the tee, I need to press more. I mean, not just one thing. That's better. You do that extra. That's how I worked. Just down to the minimum to do that little extra. And that's gonna go around.
Sherrie Kapach: That's great advice. If someone came to you saying they were interested in getting into the sport, what advice would you give them?
Audrey LaFleur: Be ready to lose lots of people. Also, it's important to be honest with yourself. So don't lie. If you lie to a coach, you lie to yourself. So you have to be honest with yourself. That's two pieces of good advice, and I can give you another good piece of advice. Enjoy the journey, this is for yourself, not for others. So stick with your boundaries, what your goals are. You have dreams you have to achieve. So write it down. Create your journey.
Sherrie Kapach: Nice. Remember, it's for you. And you do lose your social life.
Audrey LaFleur: You will find who's the right person. What brought me back is I needed to change something for my kids. Just the fact that after working, you drink a little bit of wine, it's good. But then also, it's a great cycle. You're tired and you don't go as much at the gym and your kids look at you. And then yes, you have to make some changes to get better. So I was like, okay, let's remove the wine now, and then this. I'm back in my old way, oh, let's get back. Oh, no, no, my mindset is better. My son just got double gold. Yes, we work together. So now we see results, and it's a good way.
Sherrie Kapach: Yeah. Because it's great for the kids too.
Audrey LaFleur: My son told me, I want to be strong like you, go to bed with my little dumbbell. I'm excited for this afternoon.
Sherrie Kapach: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And to be working, you have your own business and everything like that. It must be exhausting. How do you go through this with such a busy schedule?
Audrey LaFleur: Yes. That's the thing, I think I'm really good at time management. I recognise that, okay. However, I have a good team behind it as well. You'll be at my shop, I'm very grateful to honest, trustfull people. But it's all about creating your schedule.
Sherrie Kapach: Stay on top of your schedule, for sure.
Audrey LaFleur: Do all your things in the morning, afternoon. So yeah, of course, I work at night too. That's not just me.
Sherrie Kapach: And be true to yourself. Be accountable, right?
Audrey LaFleur: Yeah. You have to also take care of yourself. People say, oh, that's so selfish.
Sherrie Kapach: Self care is not selfish.
Audrey LaFleur: Yes. And that's the thing. Accomplish too much stuff. I already have a 10 million business idea in mind.
Sherrie Kapach: Yeah. All right. Well on that note, because I know you're gonna spend a little while, I just want to wish you luck. I'm hoping to be able to make it down there to watch some new ladies on stage. You're looking fabulous, so thank you for coming. Have a great show.
Audrey LaFleur: Thank you for having me.
