At nearly 28 years old, I am actually relatively new to the lifestyle of bodybuilding and consistently working out. I would say it has now been approximately two years now that I have incorporated and embraced the gym and a clean diet into my everyday lifestyle.
I have always been an athletic person. I played multiple sports growing up, including softball, track, and basketball. These activities combined with a metabolism to envy tended to keep me exceptionally lean throughout the years. As I got into my twenties I would do basic cardio as needed to keep myself in check and simply for enjoyment. There was really no rhyme or reason to my pattern, especially whilst in college. Thank goodness at that time I did have that rocking metabolism, because my diet was what most would consider a complete nightmare. I was the person who could eat a disgusting amount of food and never gain an ounce. The amount of food I could (really still can) put away makes most men and possibly even put Kobayashi to shame. I took full advantage of this...I hate to say. I have a love affair with cooking, and I would prepare meals full of heavy cream, pasta, butter...sugar laiden desserts...and if I am not preparing the meal I was happy to indulge in any fattening treat that came near my path.

Well. As with most things in life, all things that seem too good to be true, are. My ability to eat anything and everything in mass quantities, do minimal effort for exercise, and remain a slender human being came to a grinding and screeching halt. I graduated college and began working night shift as an RN in an ICU at the University of Kentucky. My sleeping pattern went to complete ****, and I started feeling super lethargic. Soon enough, the pounds just started packing on. I am a gainer particularly in my thighs and butt. And oh dear lord, they got OUTTA CONTROL. It was a girls trip to Chicago when we were out enjoying the great shopping opportunities that I attempted to squeeze this giant derriere into the size of jeans I had become accustomed to grabbing off the racks. To my dismay...I could hardly get them even remotely close to pulled over the rump I had created. It was what I needed. Light bulbs went off. I needed to do something. And, NOW.

I started going to the gym several days a week (just doing cardio at this time) and making small changes to my diet. I also had some labwork drawn. Low and behold. I had hypothyroidism. Huh. Well. Who'da thunk?
Once I got into the routine of going, I loved it. And before long, my body started responding. I loved that too, seeing the changes and results I had control of. My best friend asked me that spring to do a fitness competition with her. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of getting in a bikini in front of the masses, but the motivation sounded good. But wait...I didn't know how to weight lift. Really, at all. Not since I had messed around a little in high school. So how in God's name did I think I was going to do a fitness competition? I had bit off more than I could chew. This is when bodybuilding.com came into my life. A buddy suggested the website to me. It saved my ass more than I can explain. I logged on, noticed the "find a plan" tab, and discovered a plan that I followed for my entire competition prep. The videos of each exercise showed me exactly what I ought to be doing once I got to that machine in the gym. The print outs I could take in told me exactly how to execute the moves. The nutrition information led me to a clean eating lifestyle, which I embraced and the foodie/cook in me grew to love. It was exactly what I needed, and it led me to a first place win in my class!

Fast forward to now...I have allowed myself to get out of shape again. Wah, wah, wah. Seeing my initial transformation challenge pictures made me devastated at first glance. Believe me. I am not in denial of my current shape. I have continued to work out consistently, but have not always been as stringent with my diet. I went and travel nursed for some time and I did not have a proper gym. Instead of joining a gym and taking the time to drive out of the way to it, I just made due with what was in my apartment's fitness room. Which was shabby at best, and I let my workouts suffer. I let stress run rampid in my life and effect me, which resulted in more weight gain, especially in my stomach (an area I have NEVER struggled with). To top it off my doctor found that not only do I have hypothyroidism, but also an insulin resistance. Instead of allowing myself to get discouraged, I am using these pictures as motivation, another starting point in my life. I know where I can go. What my body can be like. I just need to get back there. These pictures made me have to accept that I am personally responsible for any aspect on my body I am currently not satisfied with and make the proper changes to head in the right direction. I am doing the 2013 body transformation challenge like I used my fitness competition, as an excellent motivation tool.

I love how it impacts my body...to be healthier, stronger, sexier, leaner. I love how I feel after a work out (empowered). I legitimately enjoy being sore from a great workout. I loooove the endorphin rush from a cardio session!!