I have been into fitness for about four years now. I grew up with a mother who was a personal trainer, so I have been around fitness my whole life. But that doesn't mean I have always been healthy and physically fit.

Throughout high school I struggled with my body image and eventually fell into the anorexic lifestyle. I used to hide what I didn't eat, give my lunches to friends, and make excuses for not being hungry. That ended after about a year when one of my volleyball teammates succumbed and passed away of heart failure from bulimia. It was a wake-up call.

So I started eating again. But when I started eating, I didn't eat a healthy diet. Instead, I ate whatever crossed my path. That's when my trainer, Terry Stokes entered my life. He has made a huge difference.

My program is as follows:

I usually compete in the spring of the year, so my diet starts typically about 14 weeks before my first show, which usually means just about January 1st. The 14 weeks that I diet are the most difficult. The diet begins easy enough, but it gets harder and harder to follow the closer I get to my shows. I also add cardio back into my plan when I begin dieting. I don't do cardio the rest of the year. But trust me, the amount I do in that 14 weeks is enough to take care of the entire year.

I lose weight easy enough in my upper body and abs, but my lower body likes to hold excess weight, so I have a very hard time leaning out my legs. At my peak, I am in the gym 3 times a day for an hour of cardio each time, plus my training sessions. I work out at 5am before work with my trainer, Terry Stokes, then again at lunchtime for an hour at a gym down the road from my work, and then I am back at night for an intense boot camp followed sometimes by a session of cardio. It takes a lot to get ready for a show.

The success for my shows has been very impressive. I absolutely love the way my body looks when I am on stage. I am lean and fit and I feel great. I have ripped abs, and you can see every muscle in my legs and arms. I have placed a high of second so far and this season I am still chasing that elusive first place trophy.

But off-season, I just eat pretty clean, I don't follow a specific diet because I am pretty good about what I do eat. I make sure I ingest enough protein every day. Protein is so important for lean muscle mass and I make sure to get enough carbohydrates to fuel my workouts. I am in the gym 5-6 times a week doing heavy lifting exercises. It seems to take forever for me to build muscle.


4) How has this success changed your day-to-day life for the better?

This has by far changed my life for the better. I have seen such an increase in confidence and I love what I do and I'm proud to work out in the gym now. I am so proud to give women who approach me advice about diet and exercise. I feel healthier and stronger than I ever have.


5) Did you experience any setbacks along the way? If so, what were they and how did you get past them?

As with any competitor, I have definitely experienced setbacks along the way. I have battled some injuries, one that limited what I could do for quite a while. I had a pull/tear in my bicep which left me unable to work it without pain for almost 2 full years. Unfortunately, this also severely limited what exercises I could do to build my back as well - because most back exercises work the bicep as a secondary muscle. So Terry Stokes, my trainer, concocted an exercise that allowed me to put my arms in sleeves and do pull-ups just using my back and not at all touching my biceps. My back grew immensely over the year we trained that way.

I also worked through a knee injury during a cardio season by just switching up the exercises I was doing. Instead of running for 45 minutes on the treadmill, I used the stationary bike and worked out on that for an hour and a half since the intensity wasn't as great as running.

Probably the biggest setback though was this past season, and it was mental. Mental setbacks are far more difficult to overcome for me than physical ones. After this season ended and I began gaining weight back, I lost sight of my goals. I hated to gain the weight back and I didn't want to follow the exercise plan that I usually do off-season. I spent some time dieting and doing cardio when I should have been lifting. To be honest, I can't tell you how I overcame that. I just started out by forcing myself to like what I saw in the mirror and I kept looking at pictures to remind myself what my goals are.


6) What type of training plan has worked best for you?

For weight loss, the best training plan I have followed is an interval boot camp workout style. It uses a mixture of weight lifting and cardio movements to maximize fat burning. What happens is the weight lifting will burn the sugar off in your muscles quicker and will pave the way to be able to burn more fat, more efficiently. Plus, interval workouts burn more calories per minute than regular, long-term cardio sessions.


7) What type of nutrition plan has worked best for you?

A high protein, moderate carbohydrate meal plan works the best. I combine protein and vegetables at every meal, every 2-3 hours. Your body has to work harder to digest protein and vegetables together, so it raises your thermic temperature which speeds up your metabolism. This keeps your blood sugar levels from spiking or dropping. And a consistent blood sugar keeps your metabolism faster and more level, too.


8) What muscle building and/or fat loss supplements have you used? Which ones worked for you and which ones didn’t?

I am currently taking Amino Acids and L-Glutamine and they work great.

The L-glutamine helps significantly with the soreness I feel after my workouts and the Aminos seem to be promoting lean muscle building. I also live by whey protein powder. That is a quick and easy source of pure protein to supplement my diet.

I have used creatine, which many bodybuilders use, in the past, but I gain a lot of water weight on it and I really don't like how bloated it makes me feel.


9) What are your future fitness goals?

In the future, I hope to become a women's fitness trainer and help women achieve the body they dream about. You don't need to be in competition shape to be healthy and fit and that's what women need to know. It doesn't matter what size you are as long as you're healthy. People think I am a size 2 all the time because I compete, but I'm not. I am a size 8 in my off-season and I am happy with that.

10) What are the top 3 tips you would give to others who are interested in beginning a muscle building and/or fat burning program?

1. Talk to a trainer or fitness professional who can tailor a workout routine around your specific goals. There are no cookie cutter workouts; everyone is different. You need to set up an appointment with someone who can treat you and your goals as an individual.

2. Understand what your goals are. Before you start anything, you should have something to look forward to, whether you want to lose weight for a wedding or get ready for a show, have your goals written down and set.

3. Give it time. Results don't happen overnight, though we all wish they did. Stick to your plan. Take before and after pictures. They are the most telling sign. Remember, living healthy may be a complete lifestyle change for you. Don't do it until you're absolutely ready or you won't be able to put forth your all and you'll get discouraged easily.


Wendy can be contacted at writergirl5981@yahoo.com