When I was in 7th grade, my mother bought a weight bench from a garage sale. It came with an Arnold workout book which became my bible. I read that book 100 times over and took it with me everywhere I went. I stayed fit throughout high school, in college, and through my first pregnancy. However, I had a rough second pregnancy and really let myself go. After I had my son, I was so overweight and unhappy with myself, that I just hid beneath clothes. I became a believer that having a baby ruins your body. I held onto this belief for 2 years and then decided enough was enough. I joined a gym, starting in classes and slowly working my way back onto the floor. Staring at those girls who placed well in NPC and IFBB contests in the back of my Oxygen magazine every month really sparked a fire. I set a goal to get on that NPC stage and never looked back. Over the course of 2 years, I have transformed from that girl who decided being fat was just the norm, to a women with strong training ethics and commitment.

The gym is my sanctuary. I just crank my IPod full blast so I hear nothing but my own pumps going through my head. I am not there to look good, to make friends, to prove a point. I am there because there is nowhere else in the world I would rather be for that 45 minutes in time.