Ever since I was a child I have been physically active, my father was a Gu-Fu instructor and a soccer coach. He always made an effort to get us kids active. But, in my teens I became less involved with physical activity - opted out of P.E. in school and cut my activity down to only school/ rep soccer. I was very self conscious in the worst way, and didn't think there was anything I could do to change how I looked. Throughout my teens I yo-yo dieted and cut my calorie intake down, and only ate a couple times a day. Needless to say my body did not appreciate this. I had just recently turned 21 when I first stepped foot into an actual gym, a girl friend of mine had started lifting weights with her boyfriend and she asked me to join her, since I had already tried everything else in terms of dieting to change my body I figured I'd give it a shot. I can remember that first day vividly, something moved inside of me, my perspective did a complete 360, and I was filled with a fiery passion from the very first day!! I remember we were training shoulders, I remember getting the dumbbells into my hands and doing overhead press... I was hooked!
That was the winter of 2011, and that spring I went to University. I tried very hard to keep up a routine during school, but my activity level plummeted as the stress of Uni rose. In my first 2 years at Uni I gained almost 20lbs and my body was not where I wanted it to be aesthetically, and I just couldn't move with the same ease or grace - it was time to change that again, once and for all! I took a year off of Uni, my main focus was to feel alive, fit, happy and healthy! Within a short few weeks I transformed my body! I was in the gym so much that eventually I ended up getting a job there! That brings us to the present, I have moved back to Vancouver, and am finishing my degree, although this year is going to be much different. I have created a habit of going to the gym, and it makes me feel better in times of stress now. There is no need for me to find escapes through things such as alcohol (which is something I did in my first couple years in uni), my escape is finding that perfectly quiet place where the only thing in my mind is that one last rep! Here is to a great year of school ahead of me!
I would like to thank my boyfriend, Chad, for teaching me so very much in this last year! He has aided me in my knowledge of bodybuilding more than he even knows!!

Bodybuilding is an escape from the stresses of the world and helps me live a healthy, active reduced stress lifestyle better than anything else I've ever found. I love being able to look in the mirror every day and feel good about it, I love seeing my success. I love waking up in the morning and aching a little and knowing this is so worth it. Now fitness is equally for body pride as it is to conquer personal challenges and personal records! It's a lot of fun to see how much strong you can get over time!