It all started after I gave birth to my daughter. For the first time in my life I was over weight. I was up to 155lbs and not much of that being muscle. After about 6 months of telling myself that I was overweight because I didn't have time to work out with a new baby and my husband at the time being in Iraq, I decided it was time to change that. I started out by taking walks with my daughter in her stroller, walks anywhere from 2-10 miles long, what ever I could fit in that day. Then I took that a step further and starting doing uphill trail hikes with my daughter in a Kelty. When she was old enough to be left with my mother for a bit, I started hitting the gym. I had no idea where to start so I took up any class my gym offered (zumba, step, spin, etc.) After about 2 months of eating a little better and working out an hour a day 5 days a week, I had lost 90% of the weight I originally gained. I was stoked, but at the same time, where was I suppose to go now? Well it took me awhile to figure that out, so I stuck with my classes for about another 3 months. The problem at this point was boredom. I needed something that would keep my interest in fitness. That's when I stumbled upon Cross fit. I instantly fell in love with the intense, crazy life style that is Crossfit. I was getting better results I had been wanting but felt I was still missing something. After talking with many people I had decided I needed to also change my diet. This is when my mother told me she had been losing weight and feeling amazing on The Paleo Diet. This struck my interest so of course I did hours of research and then made the decision to give it a try. I told myself I would give it 2 weeks and then decide if it was right for me. Well, turns out it was! I had never felt so lean, clean, and full of energy. I was hooked. So I had found my new lifestyle, Crossfit & Paleo. Everything went great for the next 6 months. I even got down to 16% body fat which is the lowest I've ever been. January 2013 came and brought with it a sudden & unexpected divorce. As anyone can imagine, it turned my world upside down. For the next for months I stopped working out and started eating pretty bad. I had put 8lbs back on and was back up to 19% body fat. I felt like I had not only lost everything I worked so hard for, but was also starting back at the beginning of my weight loss. As of April 28th 2013 I finally found something to work for, competing. As of right now I'm back in the gym trying to lose the few pounds I need to get back to where I was. Once I feel I have reached that goal, I plan to find a trainer who works which bikini and/or figure competitors, and give it my all to transform my body to that of a worthy opponent. I look forward to this journey and the wondeful people I will meet along the way :)

I love working out for many reasons. The most important is just knowing I'm doing something healthy, something good for my body. The other big reasons would be, the way it makes me feel (I have more energy, more confidence, etc), it keeps me busy, I always meet interesting people through going to work out, and last but not least, working out daily helps me sleep better! :)