Weight Lifting was something I had always wanted to do ever since I was a teenager. Back then I was thin, fit, flexible....I did gymnastics and I had a better sense of health. I was also always trying to convince my grandmother to become more healthy (she was overweight and definitely could have eaten healthier) but never could figure out how to help her....she died a few years later at the age of 70 from Breast Cancer. In my 20's and 30's, I eventually became lazy....I stopped exercising, I stopped stretching and I stopped eating healthy. I kept saying that I needed to get back on track but never could find the motivation. There were a few more deaths and illnesses in my family over the years and then my husband had a heart attack on 11/11/11. Unfortunately that is what it took to make us realize that we needed to change our lifestyle but fortunately he survived as he had had what was called the widow maker heart attack. We started working out in January 2012 - we actually tried the 2012 Transformation Challenge but didn't get too far. We still weren't quite on board with how to eat properly to build muscle and were a little confused with all of the supplements out there. I also had another stressful event concerning my brother right before we started the challenge last January that is still ongoing and they say that stress can do crazy things to your body which caused a setback for me in my eating habits. (It seems to be a vicious cycle of stress and eating junk food - they seem to complement each other very well.) Anyway, I am getting back on track and am determined to follow through with it this time....I'm not getting any younger...I'll be 45 this year and I believe I have the ability to look as good if not better than I did when I was 20. (Plus...we might be going on a trip this year and I would like to be in shape for it since it'll be the first time in 12 years that we have gone somewhere!!) Good Luck to everyone who is on this same journey!

I am looking forward to Bodybuilding because I believe it will help me to have a healthier lifestyle. I should have more energy and I will look and feel better because I bodybuilding and eating healthier go hand in hand - there's no point in going to the gym and putting in all of that hard work just to come home and eat chips and cookies. I do have a sugar addiction - mostly frosting or anything with frosting on it - and that will be one of my biggest challenges to overcome since I could eat cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner (and I actually have done that).