I have always enjoyed being active and working out! I played soccer, volleyball, and cheered in my high school years, and during college I was introduced to the bodybuilding scene. My main love at that time was running, however. I would run 8-10 miles per day, lift light weights, and my nutrition was awful! I looked decent but was definitely missing the big picture! I got pregnant with my son at 21 and gained a whopping 80 pounds due to being a full time student (senior at UT-yikes!), working two jobs, which left zero time for exercise, and then ending up on bed rest eating tons of unnecessary food. After my bundle of joy was born, I knew I needed to make a change. I wanted to be a healthy, fit role model for my son, and I couldn't bear to look at myself in the mirror anymore. I studied bodybuilding.com and realized that if I wanted to make serious changes, I needed to focus on my nutrition and lifting heavy rather than just be a cardio queen. Before I got pregnant I weighed roughly 135, the day I delivered my son I weighed 213, and I now, after two and a half years of very hard work, am down to 120LB, with 13%BF. This journey has not been easy; in fact, it has been extremely difficult and there have been plenty have times I have wanted to throw in the towel! But I know what my body is capable of, and I know what my mind is capable of, and I am going to continue to push myself and build my dream body!

Bodybuilding/working out is my lifestyle. It is my hobby/what I do for fun. There is no greater high for me than breaking a sweat, feeling the burn, feeling my heart pounding, gripping heavy iron, feeling callouses on my palms...it's my "me" time. I go in the mornings before work for cardio to get my blood flowing and get motivated for the work day, then spend my lunch break lifting weights to blow off steam. It breaks up the monotony of the daily grind and gives me that extra push to make it to 5 o'clock. Bodybuilding/working out makes me more than just an employee, more than just a mom, more than just a girlfriend, etc. We tend to get into this routine of catering to other people, especially in those roles. In the gym, I cater specifically to MY needs. I'm paying attention only to myself and listening and responding only to my body. The endorphins that kick in after a killer run or knocking out a new PR are unbeatable. And of course the health benefits, the confidence in my body, the reasons why I love bodybuilding/working out are almost endless!