Page 99 of 199

Finding That Perfect Suit Is Like Finding The Perfect Wedding Gown…

drstaceynaito Leave a comment

389009

Ever since I began competing in bodybuilding contests in 2009, I have had a fixation on suits. My fixation became a bit extreme during the time I was chasing after an IFBB Pro Card, and resulted in the purchase of a total of NINETEEN suits from 2009 through 2014!

Here is the breakdown of all the suits I bought each year:

2009:
Luli Fama off-the-rack suit – Bought through Victoria’s Secret Catalog. Wore for my first contest.
Royal blue Fresh Peaches custom suit – Wore this at Tournament of Champions.
White and silver Fresh Peaches custom suit – Wore this at Border States.
Black Fresh Peaches custom suit – Wore this at NPC Nationals.
Lilac Fresh Peaches custom suit – Wore this at Excalibur.

2010:
Slate blue hologram print Fresh Peaches custom suit – Wore this at Emerald Cup.
Purple leopard print Fresh Peaches custom suit – Never wore this one.
Zebra print Fresh Peaches custom suit – Wore this at Team Universe.
Tiger print Fresh Peaches custom suit – Never wore this one.
Deep blue shatterglass effect Fresh Peaches custom suit – Wore this at USA, Jr. USA, IFBB North American, NPC Nationals.

2011:
Blue Maison Lyle custom suit – Never wore this one.
Peacock custom suit made by me – Wore this at Team Universe, Master’s Nationals, IFBB North American, NPC Nationals.

2012:
Peach Tamee Marie cusstom suit – Never wore this one.
Red CJ’s Elite custom suit – Wore this at NPC Pittsburgh, Team Universe, Master’s Nationals.
Green CJ’s Elite custom suit – Wore this at IFBB North American. (I also wore this at both Pro contests I did in 2014).

2013:
Light blue CJ’s Elite custom suit – Wore this at NPC Metropolitan.
Tangerine CJ’s Elite custom suit – Wore this at Team Universe, Sac Pro.
Iris blue Jagware competition suit – Wore this at Irongames Pro.

2014:
Gold Ravish Sands custom suit – Wore this at Dennis James Classic Pro, Nor Cal Pro.
Bikini Front
I no longer have a fixation on buying the “perfect” suit and have sold most of my suits. However, there are a few suits I will never get rid of, for various reasons:
Zebra print Fresh Peaches custom suit – This suit turned out to be great for photo shoots.
Tiger print Fresh Peaches custom suit – This suit also turned out to be great for photo shoots.

This was from IFBB North American in Cleveland, Ohio in 2012. I hadn't seen this image until now! That was an amazing contest for me, in which I took a First Place Finish in Open Bikini C, beating out 27 other young ladies. I was 45 there!

This was from IFBB North American in Cleveland, Ohio in 2012. I hadn’t seen this image until now! That was an amazing contest for me, in which I took a First Place Finish in Open Bikini C, beating out 27 other young ladies. I was 45 there!

Peacock custom suit made by me – I have this suit in a shadowbox because I am very proud of the fact that I made this myself and took three first place national finishes in this suit.
Green CJ’s Elite custom suit – This is now my backup suit for IFBB Pro events.
Tangerine CJ’s Elite custom suit – I won my IFBB Pro Card in this suit and will never get rid of it due to its sentimental value. In addition, this is my main suit for IFBB Pro events.

I completely understand now the quest for a perfect suit can turn into an obsession! Over the years I managed to buy suits in green, various shades of blue, white, black, lilac, blue-purple, animal prints, peacock, peach, tangerine, red, and gold! Sometimes colors which look amazing on some competitors might not look as good on you, or maybe the color is perfect, but the cut isn’t quite right. I enjoyed trying out different colors and suitmakers, but I don’t think it was sensible at all for me to buy so many suits! Clearly I was a bit fickle about competition suits, hence the constant switching from one suit to another.

The entire process of selecting a suit is quite similar to the process of hunting for the perfect wedding gown. Yet even when I was searching for a wedding gown, I didn’t invest nearly as much time in that search, partially because I abhor shopping, but also because I was on a very limited budget when I shopped for a wedding gown. It was 1998 and I was in medical school, living off medical school loans, and paying for the entire wedding. What is amazing to me is that I have paid more for some competition suits than I paid for my wedding dress!

Believe it or not, I am still pondering the idea of having just “one more suit” made, but I keep pushing the idea aside because I know that would be frivolous. I know several competitors who struggle with the same suit frenzy that I have dealt with over the past eight years. Instead of spending major coin buying a bunch of different suits, you might want to consider just buying a couple of suits, one main suit and a backup suit. Your impulse may be to choose a favorite color to wear onstage, but make sure that the color/shade you choose looks good with your complexion and hair color! I have made that mistake a couple of times and ended up looking less than my best as a result. If you are indecisive, the massive selection of fabrics and connectors can be dizzying, so take your time when trying to decide on all the details. My absolute favorite suit designer is CJ’s Elite, not only because her suits always fit like a dream, but also because she has an extensive fabric and connector selection and is an amazing woman.

For those of you who want to try to save some money, a good option is to purchase used suits from a fellow competitor. I have two bikini division suits and a figure division suit for sale on my contest prep site: http://cutcurves.com/Storefront.php

How Shima Stole My Heart

drstaceynaito Leave a comment

I came across this piece when I was looking for something else in my files. It was written to honor my sweet cat Shima who is now 6 years old:
IMAG2389
Back in early 2009, I was nursing a broken heart after my first American Burmese boy went missing. I had contacted a breeder and made arrangements the last week of April to drive to Northern California to pick up an Am Burm male kitten.

The Wednesday prior to my trip, I had to pick up kitten food for the new boy. It had been 7 years since I had lived with a kitten, so I needed to purchase kitten food. It would have been MUCH more convenient to go to a pet store closer to work, but for whatever reason, I decided to go to another store near my house. And I felt a compulsion to do this. I should have known something special would occur there.

I was in the store no more than 5 minutes when I heard mewing. Not meowing. Mewing, from a kitten who was clearly very young. Then a woman came down the aisle I was in, holding a pet carrier. From this carrier I heard the mewing again. I chatted briefly with the woman, who stated that she had heard mewing in her backyard, and found this abandoned kitten. She had come to the store hoping to get some advice on how to feed the kitten since she had never done such a thing.

I peeked inside the carrier and saw a 3-1/2 week old silver spotted tabby female whose ears had come up only a couple of days prior. I reached into the carrier and scooped her into my arms, whereupon she immediately stopped mewing and snuggled into my neck.

The woman was delighted and stated that it was the first time the kitten had stopped mewing. In the meantime, the store manager brought over some kitten formula and I proceeded to feed her. I promised the woman that I would care for the kitten and find a good home for her. Little did I know she would steal my heart and that the “good home” would be mine!

Suddenly my life was defined by feedings every two hours, little to no sleep, de-worming, weaning, and lots of attention to this little creature. Shima is now six years old, slightly shy, very affectionate, and a complete marvel to me. She still likes to sleep on my chest despite the fact that she is almost too big to do that easily! When she was very little I would wrap her against my chest like a little papoose. She’d nod off to sleep in that position.

Shima was probably born around March 25th, but I have set her birthday at March 18th, the same day that my first burmese boy had gone missing.

It was meant to be for us to meet that day…

My Lumpy Cat

drstaceynaito Leave a comment

IMAG0820

I have three cats: an American Burmese male named Tenshi, a silver spotted tabby female named Shima, and a European Burmese female named Kazu. Tenshi is built like a miniature puma, sleek and well muscled, and he maintains a perfect weight despite being a complete pig and prone to eating ANY food that he can get his paws on. Shima is my slender girl, long limbed and with a long tail.

Then there is Kazu. Over the past year or so, Kazu has put on considerable weight, and it troubles me to know that in almost 30 years of having cats, I now have an overweight cat! She is a small cat, consistent with the size of most Burmese, but she weighs 11.2 pounds now. She should be 9 pounds.

I know you may be saying, “She doesn’t look overweight”, but trust me, this little lady has a midsection that is downright lumpy! The vet doesn’t have a good answer for why Kazu is overweight, and I can’t figure out what to do with her. One consideration is the fact that she has always been constipated, but I doubt that my cat is actually THAT full of crap!

Look at Kazu’s deep chest in the picture below. You can see that she has some mass to her and is a muscular cat, which is also consistent with the Burmese breed. Perhaps she is in her “off-season bulking phase”!

IMAG2168

Creativity Through Redecorating

drstaceynaito Leave a comment

How-to-Prepare-Your-Home-for-Redecorating

I have always been a creative type, but as I have gotten older, the pragmatist in me has had a tendency to overshadow my creative side. As a result, I very rarely embark on creative projects these days, despite the fact that I always feel a pull towards anything creative, whether it be drawing, suit design, writing, or DIY home projects.

I am currently involved in a complete apartment reorganization and redecoration project which has enabled me to use my creative energy. It has been a challenge coming up with themes and color stories for the various rooms. Though the place is tiny, the to-do list is daunting because I need to maximize the use of limited space on a very small budget. These limitations make it impossible to buy new items of furniture, so I must instead repair and redecorate existing pieces which lack character. Paint, decals, stencils and fabric will be utilized in clever ways in order to add color and character to the space.

room_redecorating

It has been a blast figuring out what my client loves in terms of color and design elements, and though her tastes are different from mine, I know that I will create a living space which she will be thrilled to come home to. Stay tuned for the transformation photos once everything is completed!

What A Life Coach Does

drstaceynaito Leave a comment

Life_Coaching

Over the past year I have learned a great deal about what it means to be a life coach and how a life coach can and should impact a client’s life. Life coaches may help clients effect positive change in various areas of their lives, such as relationships, career/job, time management, and home organization. The end result of a successful life coach/client interaction is an enhanced quality of life and more balance. Life coaches are completely invested in advocating the client and helping to reach goals. Most of the time the life coach will assist the client in determining what those goals are, because clients often have no idea what they truly want until they dig deep into themselves.

Some individuals can get so bogged down with the stress in their lives that they practice circular reasoning which blocks them from taking things to the next level and pursuing goals. They become complacent, hesitant, and procrastinate on projects and goal setting. Life coaches get the wheels turning again. Life coaches hold their clients accountable and know how to encourage personal growth by challenging set patterns which have held clients back from being successful in the past at reaching goals. This doesn’t mean that the life coach tells the client what to do. Instead, life coaches will guide their clients in such a way that a shift in behavior occurs organically. As a result of this organic shift, clients arrive at their own decisions which in turn empower them as they pursue the goals they have defined through their life coaching sessions.

I have recently added life coach to my list of services and enjoy working with the clients who have enlisted my help. If you are interested in life coaching services with me, please visit http://www.staceynaito.com and send a message through the contact form there.

I Still Love The Fact That I Won A Trophy As Tall As Me!

drstaceynaito Leave a comment

Screenshot_2013-08-27-00-59-42

This was taken after I won the Masters 35+ Bikini Overall at the NPC Pittsburgh in May 2012. I took a first place finish in Masters 35+ Bikini B and a third place finish in Open Bikini C. The trophy measures 66 inches in height, and I stand at 65 inches without heels, so the overall trophy is taller than me!

Call Her Beautiful

drstaceynaito Leave a comment

call_her_beautiful_tn_s-458

I am willing to bet that the vast majority of women out there respond positively when a significant other, spouse, or someone she simply digs tells her she is beautiful or even uses the word “beautiful” as a nickname. That word can completely transform a woman, especially if she is experiencing a rough day. If that doesn’t work, you could always follow the advice in the meme below!

if-a-woman-is-upset-hold-her

The Case Of The Constantly Updating Phone

drstaceynaito Leave a comment

HTC-One-Poetic-Borderline-case-wm-6

I have had an HTC One for a couple of years now, and have received one warranty replacement during that time. My phone has behaved fairly reliably recently, but it has gone through several complete systems updates, the last two of which occurred within one week. When my phone completely updated on May 19th, most of my settings completely changed, so I spent a couple of days trying to adjust. Then on May 25th, my phone went through another complete update, and all my settings changed dramatically AGAIN! AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH! Of course both of those updates apparently coincided with Mercury going retrograde, a planetary aspect which is notorious for messing up electronics.

I think I may go ballistic if my phone goes through another major update soon!

Has anyone else been experiencing numerous complete phone updates lately? I’m not talking about the software updates which come through regularly. I am referring to a complete system update and reboot which incapacitates the phone for about 15 minutes. During the last episode, I noticed that there were 386 updates made to my phone!