I never thought in a million years I’d be writing this…
I started my fitness aspirations back in July of 2010. I was a bit overweight and wanted to lose 20 pounds. I started my journey with no intention of doing a show; I just wanted to try to get the hang of eating clean. Well, little did I know I would be doing my first show three months later, achieving 2nd place. Then I went on to my next show the following week— which I won! For my third show, which was Jr. nationals in Chicago, I walked away with my pro card and came in 2nd to the overall winner! Sitting back with pro card in hand— I talked to my coach, did three pro shows and qualified for 2012 Olympia! I managed to do this all in under a year! It is such an honor to write that sentence.
I will not say it was the easiest journey. I had put my body through turmoil. I had hormonal imbalances and now have hypothyroidism. No one was to blame but myself at this point. I hadn’t given my body the rest it needed, I was being stubborn and not really listening to the education I have. After my show last November, I went into damage control. I went to my doctor and had to correct everything I had damaged for the last year. Well eight months later, I was still correcting it, and that was just months away from the Olympia! But this time around I did it the safe way— I let my body understand the time it takes to rest and grow. There is a safer approach than putting your body through havoc. I will be living proof of that! I will be sharing with you all how I did it while staying balanced, happy, and ready to bring my A game! It was tough, but I kept pushing no matter what. When I had a dream of competing, then becoming an IFBB pro, and then qualifying for the Olympia— I did it. And this year I achieved my goal of making the top 15 at the Olympia! When I set my mind to something, you better believe I will do it and conquer it. This is something you must do to achieve your dream or goal!
I want to help others keep a healthy outlook when it comes to competing or even just dieting for the everyday lifestyle. Trust me, I’m still trying to fix what damage I have done, but I’m in a way better place now and can only get better from here.
Getting Ready for Success
Make an appointment with your primary care physician and see what all your levels are (i.e., hormones, thyroid, vitamin B, D, etc). Then have a game plan approach for keeping your levels there.
When starting a diet regimen, be sure to hire someone who is qualified in knowing the proper amounts of each macronutrient to properly balance your levels (i.e., proper grams to balance thyroid, which should be close to 100 grams, and proper grams of healthy fats to balance hormones, which can be anywhere from 20-30 grams).
Start out slow and have a realistic goal in mind. Conquer a small one, then move onto the next goal. If you move too fast this can be overwhelming and can set yourself up for failure.
Make sure you have the right supporters around you. This will get hard and you will need those around you to be positive and helpful. Anyone negative around you will just make this even harder. To this day I have close-knit supporters who love me no matter what— even when I rummage through my bag and pull a meal out in the middle of a restaurant! They joke, but say they get it and love me no matter what.
Be prepared! Manage your meals, journals and time. I always organize and plan my days out. I even prep food and freeze it so I am always prepared!
Starting out is always a challenge, but having the right approach, attitude and mindset will make your start to success just a little easier.