2nd Place

I thought I was finally going to reach my goal, accomplish my dream and my family would be there to watch. I had a dream of winning my pro card in body building for many years, but despite my hard work this time my number wasn’t called.

I loved being in shape, working out and eating healthy. It always made my body feel so good. I started competing at the age of 21 and fell in love with how it made me feel. I felt so empowered, pushing myself in the gym, double cardio, and still balancing college and my part time job. My first show I placed 3rd, and I couldn’t have been happier with the outcome.

The further I got into competing the more I realized that the women I was competing against weren’t natural. Cocktails of Anavar, Clenbuterol, and medication to mess with the thyroid were commonly used in bikini. Not to mention a variety of estrogen blockers. There were several times I battled with the decision of taking what everyone else was. Every time I came close to doing it, I knew in my heart I couldn’t represent health in that way.

I tried to stay on the low-calorie diets with heavy cardio in hopes I would come in leaner and finally get 1st place. Months of keeping up with this lifestyle left me in a whirl wind and lead me to develop a severe eating disorder. I had a variety of coaches with all different styles, no carbs, low carbs, no fats, only fats, only protein, and no fruit, where a few of the styles I subjected myself to. The thought of going to a grocery store left me with fits of anxiety and tears.

Fast forward a few years down the road, I decided to hang up my competition heels and prioritize being healthy from the inside out. Every time I would step on stage, I would feel like I looked great but, internally I felt awful. The competition blues, bloating and immense mood swings after, left me feeling like a hallow shell. I wanted to see how it felt to feel great not just look it. I prioritized my mental health and finally faced what caused my eating disorder and was successful at breaking it.

I went on to get my personal training certification through ACE and focused all my continuing education on nutrition. I went on to get certified in my precision nutrition level 1 and 2 certificate. After 5 years of taking a break from competing. I graced the stage in my sparkly heels and feel in love with what I was capable of. For the first time, I coached myself and prioritized doing it the healthy way. I chose an organization that drug test all their athletes and had values that matched mine.