I've always played sports but throughout my adolescence I was always one of the bigger girls. Even playing soccer 5days a week in the fall and track and field in the spring during high school I couldn't shed my size. When I started applying to college my second time, after two years in the 'real world' constantly battling my weight and an eating disorder, I decided I wanted to finally like what I saw in the mirror and for the first time seriously educated myself on fitness and eating right. I started slow and quickly moved up to a five day a week regime. I saw results through moderate, simple weight training and became a distance runner. I lived the number on the scale, but still wasn't satisfied with the mirror and soon, I was lifting more and running less. After joining the National Guard I ended up with pretty serious overuse injuries in my legs and for the first time set my sights squarely on my upper body. Since then I've fallen in love with weight training and now I hardly touch cardio other than enough to pass my PT test.

I love adrenaline and I love pushing my limits. In the gym I can do that better than anywhere else. It's a place where I feel strong, secure, and in my zone. There's no place else I feel totally comfortable with myself.