I first began lifting weights when I ran track in high school, and again when I rowed crew in college, but I didn't really learn how to lift weights on my own (rather than lifting in an organized team/sports program) until more recently.

, both I love working out because after having five babies (and working long hours as an attorney in a large Washington, DC law firm), I finally discovered the FUN of bodybuilding, along with excellent nutrition. Bodybuilding became something I looked forward to every other day, along with cycling or running on alternate days. When I had a neck injury and could not work out for the better part of a year, I lost a lot of the strength and muscular tone I had built through bodybuilding before the injury, and gained fat that I had never had before. I'm excited to build my strength and have the courage to set high standards and strive to be at my personal best in every area of my life.