A few weeks ago, I sat down with Paige and interviewed her about life as a bikini competitor

Paige Westerman is a 20-year-old University of Guelph student with a passion for health and fitness. In this blog post, I’ll dive a little deeper into the life of Paige and shed light on just what the life of a bodybuilder looks like.

Paige competes under the Canadian Physique Alliance in the bikini category, which has an emphasis on hamstrings, glutes, shoulders, and a balanced head-to-toe physique. Preparing for a bodybuilding competition requires strong attention to detail and intense training, cardio, and nutrition. The process involves dieting to lose body fat in order for your body’s muscles to show on stage. Though other athletes might follow meal plans, Paige follows IIFYM and sets her own macronutrient goals based on her personal needs.

What keeps Paige motivated?

Paige told me that most days, she isn’t very motivated at all. Sometimes she wants to make every excuse not to go to the gym, but somehow she always finds it within her to go.

“You just gotta get up and get it done.”

Paige relies on her future self to keep her motivated. She never wants to waste her own time or let her future self down.

Who are Paige’s role models and inspirations?

Paige looks up to her parents. She told me that as entrepreneurs, they’re hard-working individuals willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

“I’ve always tried to channel their energy into my own work.”

One important fitness influencer who has inspired Paige over her time as an athlete is Emily Hayden. As an honest and authentic communicator via social media, Paige looks up to Hayden as a role model.

What does a typical day in her life look like?

Paige is currently six weeks out from her first competition of the year. Every morning she wakes up early and heads to the gym for cardio. After that, she’ll shower and get ready for the day before heading to her first class (she eats her breakfast in class without shame). Then Paige usually goes to the library for a couple of hours to work on course material and eat her lunch. In the late afternoon, she goes to the gym again to train, and if she’s working, she’ll have to hustle to get to work that evening. If she isn’t working, she’ll just go home after the gym to eat dinner and finally relax.

If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, yes, I can confirm - Paige goes to the gym twice a day.

“Yeah, I have to separate my cardio from my training, otherwise I do it all at once and that’s way too hard on my body.”

If you’re interested in learning more about what a typical day is like for Paige, check out her YouTube channel.

What time of day does Paige like to go to the gym?

Our circadian rhythm is the natural, internal process that regulates our sleep-wake cycle. It determines the time of day that your brain functions best (so whether you’re an early bird or a night owl). Paige is most productive in the morning or late afternoon. Later in the evening, she tends to do less work - unless she’s got a project due that night. She likes to train in the mid-afternoon because that is when her strength is strongest and her energy feels the best.

How often does she compete?

Paige has completed two shows so far. She did two last year and is working towards two more this year. Beyond this year’s competitions, she doesn’t have further plans to continue competing, at least not for a little while. It is recommended that a bodybuilding competitor take as long in the offseason as they did in the on-season. So, for Paige, after prepping for five months for this year’s shows, she will take five months off at a minimum before her next season.

“It’s not healthy for your body to be at low body fat all the time, so you need to respect that.”

Why does Paige coach herself?

Paige coaches herself because she wants to. After being coached in her first year of competing, she felt that she had the understanding and background knowledge of her body and the sport to be able to do it on her own. From a financial standpoint, Paige uses coaching herself as a way to save money. As a university student, she has financial goals beyond competing that need to be met before spending on coaching.

“Between registration cards, tans, suits, makeup, and then coaching on top you’re spending thousands and thousands of dollars a year.”

But more than that, more than money and finances, Paige wanted to challenge herself. Calling the shots and making the big decisions were things that she wanted to do. But according to Paige, self-coaching is not for everyone. It can be stressful trying to figure out what to do next and what steps to take.

At the end of my interview with Paige, I asked her if there was anything else that she’d like to add. Here’s what she had to say…

“Competing is not for everyone and it shouldn’t be glamorized. It’s not a beauty pageant.”