If You Believe You Can You Will! Exercise Saved My Life!!
No Nonsense Magazine Vol 23, #3
By: Angelia Craft
At a Glance: Angelia Craft
Age: 53 years old widow and suicide survivor
Occupation or Education: Earned Bachelor of Arts Degree in Health, Wellness, and Human Services from Ashford University in May, 2019; Active Advocate for American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; Registered Certified Medical and Podiatric Medical Assistant and Wound Specialist
Current Residence: Greenville, NC
Family: Son, Jamal and his wife, Heather are my biggest cheerleaders; Daughter, Sheila
Height: 5'5"
Weight: Off Season:150 (I have been over 200 in the past), Contest:125-130
Music: Oldies and Christian Music
Most Inspiring Book: The Bible. One of my favorite passages is Psalm 46 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble” (KJV)
Hobby or interests outside bodybuilding: I love running and reading a good book. I am also an avid couponer and I use this skill to purchase produce for those who are in need. I love helping others.
Exercise saved my life. When depression and adversities become too great, exercise is my refuge. It helps to clear my mind and allows me to focus more clearly.
My self-esteem was very low and had been since I was a young girl. Life was hard growing up. My mother’s boyfriend robbed me of my innocence and childhood. I grew up thinking I was weak, unattractive, and worthless. I married and finally found happiness with my husband, David, but then on June 11, 2009, my happy world came crashing down around me. I came home that day for lunch and found David had hung himself. I immediately called 911 and was instructed to cut him down, but it was too late. I touched him and his body was cold and lifeless.
His suicide came as a shock to me. I felt so alone. We were always inseparable. How was I expected to go on after this event? I wanted to die so badly in order to be with him. Pastor Flowers, who preached at David’s funeral, called me each day to make sure I was doing as well as I could. He, his wife, and my church family helped me deal with my grief every step of the way. He stated something in one of his sermons that really stuck with me. If God gives you a vision, he will give you the provision and connect you with the correct people at the correct time. That is how I feel about this opportunity to share my story. I am currently writing a book regarding my life story. I hope that my experiences can assist others in their life.
From 200 lbs to Natural Pro
I have been a personal trainer and group fitness instructor since 1999. I loved teaching. I was very overweight when I became certified, but this didn’t stop me from providing fitness goals and assistance to others. I was about 200 pounds when I started. At first, I couldn’t believe I was asked to do this, Me, are you kidding! It was held at Lenoir Memorial Hospital's Wellness Center. My class members and I helped motivate one another. The class was called Fitness Fun! We, as a class, worked out, shared our lives, celebrated one another’s accomplishments and often cried on one another’s shoulders.
Then, nearly twenty years later, I wanted to do something great to further empower myself. I decided to enter a bodybuilding contest before I turned 50. I went to Fitness by William and inquired how I could do this. Dr. William Ingram, the owner, asked a little about my fitness background and I explained to him I really wanted to become leaner and more muscular. I started working out at the gym. I loved it and everyone there was so encouraging. William said I could compete that November at the Crystal Coast Classic in Morehead City.
Contest Prep Diet and Supplement Program by Dr. William Ingram, Fitness by William
Here is the contest and supplement plan that William prepared for me.
Meal 1: 4-6 egg whites (boiled, no yolks), 1 sweet potato or 1 cup oatmeal
Supplements: I like to mix a scoop or two of Glutamine Select (Wild Berry is my favorite) in a large glass of water and use this to take my supplements - Super Pak, 5 Mass Aminos, 2 Quadracarn, 3 Lean Out, and 3 7-Keto MuscLean
Meal 2: Tuna or salmon pouch, 1 banana or a small box of raisins
Meal 3: 1-2 chicken breasts or 2-4 drumsticks, 1 cup of string beans, 1 medium sweet potato or brown rice
Supplements: 1 scoop Glutamine Select in water, 5 Mass Aminos, 2 Quadracarn, 3 Lean Out, 3 7-Keto MuscLean
Meal 4 (if needed): 2-4 egg whites, 2 plain rice cakes
Meal 5: 1-2 chicken breasts or 2-4 drumsticks, sweet potato, string beans or broccoli
Supplements: 1 scoop Glutamine Select in water, 5 Mass Aminos, 2 Quadracarn, 3 Lean Out
Before Bed: 2 ZMA 2000
Tips that helped along the way:
- Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily
- Use hot sauce, black pepper, vinegar or seasoning salt
- Cut fruit, rice and drumsticks 2-3 weeks out from the show
My Favorite UMP Recipe
For meals #2 and #4 I sometimes substituted a UMP shake. Here’s a favorite recipe:
- Blend 1 scoop of UMP Chocolate in 8oz chocolate almond milk
- Place covered in the freezer for 2 hours
- Eat it with a spoon as a sorbet type dessert---delicious.
- UMP is very satisfying to my sweet tooth without the guilt!
Training Schedule
My workout was a three-day split performing 3 sets of 12-10-8 reps for each exercise.
Day 1: Chest & Shoulders
Flat Bench Dumbbell Press
Incline Dumbbell Press
Pectoral Fly Machine
Pushups
Seated Dumbbell Military Press
Dumbbell Side Laterals
Dumbbell Shrugs
Day 2: Back & Biceps
Lat Pulldowns
Seated Rows
One Arm Dumbbell Row
Standing Barbell Curls
Seated Dumbbell Alternate Curls
One Arm Preacher Curl
Day 3: Legs & Triceps
Leg Extensions
Seated Leg Curls
Squats
Lunges
Leg Press
Triceps Pushdowns
One Arm Cable Kickback
Seated Bench Dips
For Abs and Core I used some combination of ab machine crunches, 3-way planks, standing / lying leg lifts, plyometrics (every 2 weeks - my least favorite), burpees, jump lunges, jump squats, and static 1-2 minute squats.
Cardio included a 3-mile run 6 days per week, and the Stairmaster for 30 minutes 3 days per week, with stretching every day.