My Story
So, how did I get from the first photo to the second?
My journey in the fitness industry started in June 2015 when I signed up for a body building show. A friend of mine had previously done a cut for a photoshoot and his results left me in awe. I knew I had the mindset to achieve similar results so I made the decision to start into a prep. I grew up involved in various sports, mainly gymnastics so a competitive nature was never something I lacked.
Not one clue about weight training. Even less of a clue about nutrition BUT I needed a challenge so I signed up with an online coach and we started a cut for a show in 14 weeks.
I won that show and 2 weeks later I went on to win Nationals which qualified me for Europeans the following year.
It was after Nationals that I decided to do a personal training course and help girls feel the way I felt on stage CONFIDENT!
Winning was certainly a great feeling and all the hard work I put in felt so worth it.
However, there’s a darker side that people gloss over. I lost so much time with family and friends, missed out on events, birthdays etc because eating ‘on plan’ at the time felt like the most important thing in the world to me. I was in the best possible shape I could have been in physically but the polar opposite mentally.
Competing for me came at the right time in my life. After dropping out of college a few years previous I had zero clue what career path I wanted to take and falling in love with weight training has brought me to where I am now so I'll always look at my time doing shows with positivity.
However, would I advise someone to compete? No.
- You become extremely self critical
- Constantly comparing yourself to others
- A social life is non-existant which can be very negative for your mental health
- Training becomes a chore because there's no time for fun or trying different things
- Life becomes too regimental and exhausting
When I finished competing I went through my 'glute phase'. Building my bum was my only goal and this lasted until I went to a training camp in Thailand and the harsh reality of my poor fitness levels kicked in. When I say poor I mean SHOCKING!
I was lucky enough to get invited over to Titan Fitness in Thailand and soon realised that my overall fitness levels were embarrassing. Being the competitive person I am I trained 3 times a day for a month to change that. From this time on my focus turned towards more functional fitness and being fit as well as strong. My glutes got smaller but now I can actually run up the stairs without being out of breath.
A year later I went to Wanderlust Bali, with a completely different physique and outlook an training. I was eating more than ever before, solely to fuel my training and performance. I had built such a healthy relationship with food by this point that I was the happiest and most content in my own skin that I had ever been.
My current physique:
63kg of pure body confidence. I train 5 days a week, I eat all the food I love and have finally found a healthy balance between training and a social life.
I eat roughly 2,000 calories daily, all my sessions consist of weights and cardio and I train for my mental health just as much as my physical appearance.
How do I stay motivated?
- Read - I have listed some of my favourite books here focusing on improving your mindset
- I surround myself with positive people who support & encourage me
- With many years of training now under my belt I understand and appreciate the benefits that exercise and eating right has on both my body and mind. This feeling is very addictive.