From Athlete to Mom to Bodybuilder
I have been an athlete since I was 6 years old and my fitness journey has taken many turns these past 20 years.I began as a swimmer as an 8 and under and continued through high school where I also dabbled in cross country and lacrosse. I then went on to join the Swim & Dive team at Pace University where I first began to lift weights. My senior year of college at my last collegiate swim meet I had a complete breakdown, I thought my fitness journey had finally ended. I no longer had my drive, my daily motivation to eat well, fuel my body, and work hard in the pool. I decided to move onto my second love, running during graduate school where I followed a training plan for a half marathon and completed it! I graduated with my Masters and then planned a few months later had a wedding, got married, and shortly after that became pregnant with my son. During my pregnancy I still lifted weights and ran about 5 days a week. During my 36th week I actually worked out 3 hours before I went into labor! 8 weeks after having my son I was cleared to head back to the gym but I ended up going only twice a month for about 3-4 months. I could not find the motivation to go. When my son was 5 months old my husband switched jobs, which allowed us more time to go to the gym. I took my first “ab selfie” when my son was about 8 months old. Shortly thereafter I connected with a friend of a friend who just became a competitor in the body building industry. Seeing all the progress I had made on my own I decided to take a huge leap and become a body builder! I competed in my first show September 2015 and I fell in love. I love having a goal to work towards, supportive teammates (I missed the camaraderie of the swim team), and having different workouts to follow keeps the gym entertaining. One’s fitness journey will continue to ebb and flow but the key is to change with your lifestyle and needs and keep creating new goals to obtain. When one sets a specific weight or clothing size as a goal I do not feel as though this will create fitness as a lifestyle. Sign up for a charity 5k, take martial art or pure barre classes, or take your dog on a nightly stroll!
Cal Fit Balance 