- What was your one moment that made you decide to get your life back and transform your body?
I started this journey last January of this year lost and overweight… lost as can be and not knowing what or who I wanted to be anymore. I thought it might have just been bad luck or just what covid might have just done to some people to make them feel numb or lose themselves…I just felt like a zombie. It was not
until I started talking to more and more people at my gym that I realized I was lacking motivation and a goal to become and be something more. It was maybe a week or two after; that I realized I wanted something more and I wanted to challenge myself once again like school or holding a job that interested me.
- How was the mental aspect of going through the fitness journey and were there times that you just wanted to stop and walk away?
The mental aspect of going to the gym and putting in the work was not as challenging as when it came to counting my macros and saying no when going out to eat with friends to catch up. I can’t say that this was an easy journey without any failures but time and time again there were numerous hurdles and failures.
The first and major one being to attend the New You show last May at Edmonton. I failed to show up mentally and physically, even with the October show I felt that I just was not where I wanted to be physically. But mentally I am much stronger with a new found vision and dedication to myself which is why I continued on with the show.
- How much time did you put into the gym, did you enjoy it?
I put a lot of time at the gym…I was at the gym everyday from Monday to Friday for about 2 hours at a time and I absolutely loved every minute of it until it came to cardio. I actually kind of tricked my mind into thinking that the workout pains were weakness leaving the body and followed that mantra after awhile. My
time spent at the gym was also a way for me to detoxify any of the daily stress that I accumulated through out the day and put my mind at ease and at a calm state.
- What did your workout routines consist of?
My workout routines mainly consisted of full body workouts focusing on a leg routine on Monday, push- pull routine on Tuesday, cardio and flexibility routine on Wednesday, pull-push on Thursdays, and finally full body on Fridays.
Each routine mainly consisted of a warm up utilizing some stretching; followed by 7- 8 exercises depending on that particular day doing 4 sets of 6-10 reps on regular training weeks and 3 sets of 15-20 reps on de-load weeks. Each day also finished up with an ab workout and 15–20 minute cardio session.
- How important was having your family in going through this process?
My family and friends played an important role in which they were really supportive and helped me to stay motivated and committed throughout the process even though some of them did not quite understand why I was under taking this journey and even taking part of the New You. But the ones that really
understood my goal were inspired and actually wanted to join me on my journey and start working out with me too which I found even more motivating to push myself even more.
- How was the experience for you, walking on stage and being backstage prepping?
The whole New You experience was terrifying and surreal yet humbling and motivating at the same time.
Being surrounded by like mind people that shared that comradery while being extremely supportive of one another was amazing to see. Just talking to different people and finding out their journeys was inspiring and amazing to be apart of. Prepping and walking on stage was a such a rush of adrenaline and
dopamine if just felt amazing and fantastic to just be there and embrace the moment. It gave a sense of completion to a goal that had been set in your mind for a while.
- You are an inspiration to others who are thinking of transforming their body... what is your message to them?
During this journey, I learned 3 main things that I thought I’d share and were needed to become who I saw in my future and they were;
- The difference between having a vision and having a mission.
- The difference between motivation and dedication.
- Finally, what I feared for the most in this journey and that being my light/greatness.
I realized that both a vision and a mission were very similar in broad terms, basically a goal but vastly different in how we approached each one. A vision was more defined and specific of who and what we wanted to become, whereas a mission was a goal that defines what we do to achieve that vision but
changed as our motivation and vision focuses on something more defined.
I thought all you needed was motivation to do or achieve something in life but I learned that motivation can become ill fated if you weren’t truly doing it for yourself. Yes, you can be motivated to do something and accomplish it. But it is the dedication to yourself and heart it takes to get it done, repetitively, day in
and day out, even on those days you’re feeling down and out.
Lastly, what I feared the most and wanted to change could be best summarized by various passages written by Marianne Williamson, “It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us, our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not
our darkness that most frightens us…Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you…And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our
own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”.
- Lastly, what was your best moment during your fitness journey? :)
I like to say stepping on the stage of the New You along side WNBF athletes was one of the best moments of my fitness journey thus far but I know more and better moments are yet to come on my journey of fitness.
