Health and fitness has always interested me as early as middle school, but I always had a little chub on my bones. After dating somebody who lifted weights, he helped me get comfortable in the weight room, which had a hand in building my confidence to workout with the big boy weights on my own when he couldn't be there. Since then I became obsessed with female athletes and discovered Bodybuilding.com, which continues to ignite my passion of weight lifting.

The only thing we have control over is ourselves. Our body is the only thing we own in this world. Working out, and weight lifting in particular, requires a certain amount of discipline, perseverance, and hard work, which a lot of people lack. When you see someone with an amazing physique, that hard work and discipline shows, and that's what I want people to see when they look at me. That, and the feeling of being able to do physical labor on my own without the help of a man is very gratifying.