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I grew up a very shy person who kept to herself. But, always knew I wanted more out of life than my status quo. So many ups and downs allowed me to become the person I am today. In this article I won’t go into all of the different areas of my life but will stick to the fitness side. Fitness helped me come out of my shell and do things I never thought I could or would do.

It’s crazy that I have been around fitness since 1998 and never really applied it to myself. I was that person who would get a gym membership, go the first week and then continue paying on it for a year. I was the one who went super hard out of the gate (in a class or on the treadmill) for as long as I could and then I’d quit. I even blacked out after a class one time, walked straight into a wall and busted my nose (it still has a bump on it today). I was also the person whose daily meal plan consisted of the largest size latte loaded with sugars (even the local Dunkin Donuts’ and Starbucks’ baristas knew my name) for breakfast and didn’t eat again until dinner. I worked long hours in a demanding field and came home to my family’s dinner which was either a huge pasta meal or we’d go out to a local restaurant. I never saw myself as overweight, (by society standards) so I thought I was ok. I worked very hard at being at the top of my game in my career and family and believed that’s all that mattered. I love my family more than anything and was proud of what I was accomplishing in my career, but I couldn’t help but feel the “is this it” feeling”. Sound familiar to anyone?

I still remember the exact moment that my fitness journey started. I was getting ready for work (in early 2013), got out of the shower and looked at myself in the mirror (just as I had a million times before). But this time was different. I looked at myself good and hard and stopped dead in my tracks. I couldn’t believe the person I was looking at. I examined myself from my head to my ankles and was not only disappointed with what I saw, but upset and angry. How did I let myself get into this shape?

I immediately called my husband, Chris, into the room. I said, “We are joining the gym tonight and I need you to help me get in shape!” (Chris has been in the fitness industry his whole life.) He’d heard this from me before, but this time he knew something was not the same. I wanted to start right then. I remember the excitement I felt that day. I could barely focus on work. I did my best with food. I skipped my morning latte and forced down water all day. I got home, changed and said, “Let’s go.” Chris said, “Let’s eat first, please.” (I didn’t understand the importance of food yet.) I was not comfortable going to an actual gym so we joined the local YMCA and started training together. We still train together to this day and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

We were very consistent with training and our eating for many months. I was getting to know my way around the gym, learning correct form, what exercise worked which body part, etc. I was soaking it up like a sponge and it was exciting for me. One day a couple from the gym started discussing competition. Then, out of the blue, they asked me when my next show was. Chris had competed before, but I hadn’t even thought about it. About ten months later we were laying in bed and I asked Chris, “How many weeks do you think I would need if I wanted to compete?” He smiled ear to ear and replied, “In your current shape, about 16 weeks.” I said that I’d like to try it, but only if he competed too. He said, “Let’s do it!”