My Fitness Journey

This was featured on CathySavageFitness.com. I thought I would share it hear.

My Fitness Journey

When I stood onstage last week as the overall Bikini Champion at the North Carolina State Bikini Competition, I doubt anyone imagined that just 3 1/2 years ago I gave birth to twins. In fact, I am a 35-year-old wife, mother of three (I have a six-year-old son in addition to the twins), and real estate professional. Not surprisingly, my very busy life has often left me feeling overextended, struggling to take care of everyone else’s needs and finding little time at all for myself.

I had a perfect pregnancy with my first child, but after a textbook 25-pound weight gain I still struggled to lose the weight. I kept telling myself that I was just going to get pregnant again soon, so the extra pounds really did not bother me too much. As often happens, things did not go entirely according to plan, and after two years of trying to conceive, including a year of fertility treatments, I gave birth to the twins. I soon found myself completely overwhelmed. The first year was so difficult I cried every day. I felt my life was in shambles; I wasn’t sleeping, I was barely eating, and most of what I did eat was fast food or pure junk. I was exhausted and suffering from stress and anxiety. Taking care of my family was so overwhelming that I remember very little of that first year except that I thought I was going to die, everyday. When the twins turned one I knew something had to change or I was going to go crazy.

I had become interested in fitness training in my early twenties when a friend handed me a copy of Oxygen Magazine on a flight to NYC. I read it cover to cover! I admired women who really took care of their bodies, and a physique that was feminine and had some muscle always got my attention. I dreamed of competing in fitness for many years before I actually got the nerve to do it, and when I finally decided to try it, it seemed there was always an obstacle that I could not get past. Working too much, being single, relocating for work, getting married -- all of these things led to inconsistent training. After I had children I thought my chance to compete was gone. As I struggled with the demands of family obligations and professional responsibilities, I realized that it was time to make some fundamental changes in the way I was taking care of myself. I could not be a good wife and mother and professional without first being a strong and healthy woman.

I still dreamed of competing in fitness shows and I set the goal to finally do it. I have always been independent and driven to succeed, and when I set my mind to something, I do my best to achieve it. When I realized that my early training was somewhat disorganized, I began to search for the right trainer to help me achieve my goals. It was important to me to find someone who could help me be successful in a healthy, sustainable, natural way. During my search for a trainer, one name kept coming up: Cathy Savage. I joined Cathy’s online program in March 2008 but soon realized I wanted a more intensive experience. In January 2009 I attended Cathy’s weekend fitness camp in Boston, and that weekend changed my life in more ways than I can tell you. I was surrounded by amazing women who had fought through their own personal challenges and had found peace and accomplishment through fitness. These women were of all ages, backgrounds, and education levels. They were strong, confident, and willing to share their struggles. I found coaches who truly loved and cared about the health and wellbeing of the women in those beautifully fit bodies, and I learned to value my own health and wellbeing in a completely new way. I found a place where I fit in and felt understood and where I was surrounded by women who shared many of my goals and values and priorities. From that point forward I was committed! I trained consistently and passionately, always striving to improve my fitness from one month to the next. I thought about everything I put into my mouth, carrying my cooler packed with nutritious foods on beach trips and family vacations. I put my faith in my coaches to guide me. In the past fifteen months my coaches and teammates at Cathy Savage Fitness have become some of the best friends I could ever imagine, and they have surrounded me with support and encouragement. I have gained the confidence to set higher goals for myself in fitness and in life in general, and I am accomplishing things I never thought I would. In addition to fitness competitions and modeling, I am now studying to become a certified nutritionist. My passion for health and fitness has opened new doors for me, and my sense of achievement in exceeding my goals has given me a new appreciation of my strengths as a woman, wife, and mother. This journey has transformed my body, mind, and spirit. What began as a way to look good and feel better has become my path to feeling great. I’ve committed myself to living a healthy lifestyle so that I can take care of my family, work a very demanding job, and actually manage to enjoy it all. Winning bikini competitions after giving birth to three children is a side effect of choosing to work hard for health, and what a good one it is!