About 8 years ago, I began working out with a personal trainer for the first time. Very quickly, we began to notice significant changes in that I lost 13 pounds of fat and gained 9 pounds of muscle! It was then that he suggested I consider competing, but at the time I had never even heard of Figure, Fitness, etc. So, we went to a couple of shows, and watched a few friends go through the process of prepping and competing. After continuing to sit on the fence for some time, I finally sat down with a coach, in January of 2012, to consult about competing. We immediately selected the Northern Colorado Championships in Boulder, held 4/14/12, as my first competition and got to work! I ended up taking second in my height class, which meant I qualified to compete at the national level, which was very exciting. Next, I chose to compete in the USA's in Las Vegas, held 7/28/12. After that, I switched gears to go into Women's Physique, competed in the Warrior Classic on 8/18/12 and won the Overall! Two weeks later I went to Pittsburgh for North Americans, and was lucky enough to take 5th place in my class. Last year, I competed in just one show - Jr. Nationals, and this season I'm planning on doing two... I'll keep you posted!
From the moment my coach and I chose the first show I'd compete in, I was extremely focused and driven. It feels great to have a goal and to be working towards it. It's also been fascinating to learn so much about how a body can be transformed and to watch my own body change before my eyes. I really love the fact that people I don't even know come up to me and compliment my physique and ask me questions about my workouts and nutrition plans because it just reinforces that I'm on the right path. In addition, it feels wonderful to experience how supportive my family and friends have been of my transformation and competitions - even if they don't necessarily understand it. Lastly, I've already had the opportunity to meet some incredible people through bodybuilding, and I know that this will only continue!