My fitness transformation journey did not start in what some would call a traditional desire - wanting to just improve physical appearance - rather, I chose this path towards competing and challenging my body to truly test it out as a mechanism, as in, could it function at a more optimal level to actually improve my quality of life? I call this journey a "transformation" because I am achieving just that on many levels - and the improved physical appearance is definitely an added bonus.
I grew up in Miami, FL and was given the fortunate circumstance of my parents being able to give us all the food luxuries we wanted as children, including fast foods and processed goodies (not knowing any better at the time of course, who would turn down Mickey D's and the free toy it came with?). My younger siblings and I were very much academically oriented and not too concerned with extracurricular sports and activities, aside from playing outside after homework was done. My habits caught up with me as a teenager and young adult, having developed several breast tumors (giant fibroadenomas) from age 12 to 21 and needing to have them surgically removed. My family faced medical issues that were never a part of our family history (with previous generations growing up in another country, unexposed to the process foods of our current society) and lacked the knowledge to know why this was happening and if it could happen again. So I sought out answers.
My curiosity brought me to study a broad range of subjects, from biomedical and tissue engineering, to fashion and human factors in product design. Through the individuals I have met along the way, I found myself thinking I should go to the gym.
I made probably all the beginner mistakes you could make while at the gym, constantly hindering myself from going back consistently. In my first year of college, I met a man (now my husband) who was life changing [in more ways than one] and took it upon himself to show me the ropes at the gym. I began lifting weights, essentially âtraining like a guyâ, and experienced such an incredible mind-body connection, it became a meditative practice for me, and I've never stopped since.
In 2012, I had been exposed to more and more signs of fitness competitions in the web and media, as our world became more health focused. Though I had seen these athletes a great deal and admired their perseverance in the sport, it never dawned on me that I could develop the same physique. Then I questioned my own thoughts â wait, why couldnât I? I took it upon myself to research the discipline it required to test my body physically and proposed the idea to my husband, who supported me wholeheartedly.
From May 2012 to the present, I lost over 10% of body fat (25 lbs and counting) and gained an outlook on life that made me a better person physically and mentally. I have always loved my body (yes, even in that picture above I thought I looked awesome, and still do), but I've now grown an appreciation of it, something I did not have with my previous afflictions. I reference my scars now as my best feature because they tell a history, but my new and improving muscle speak volumes of my future to come.
My wish is to have everyone experience this on their own level, and hopefully by sharing my transformation online and in media, competing, and networking with others, I will be able to do just that.