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Introduction
Hello
and thank you for visiting my website. Below, I give you a
little background on myself and the reasons why I got involved in
fitness. <return to top>
Background
I was born in Brooklyn, New York, but my parents moved shortly
after I was born to Queens. This is where I remember playing
in the backyard with my dog and shoveling snow in the wintertime
with my Dad.
I
am the youngest of 4 children. I have two brothers and one
sister.
Throughout
my early school years I was always more focused on academics than
on athletics. I dabbled in singing, gymnastics and dance by
taking the optional classes that were offered at my Junior High
School, but I didn’t participate in any formal training in any of
those areas outside of school.
My
family moved to Florida when I was 13 years old--the year that I
was due to begin High School. Yes, I was starting 10th
grade when I was 13. As part of an advanced learning program,
I skipped 8th grade.
I
have a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Computer Engineering from
the University of Central Florida. I am a Software Engineer and
Web Designer/Developer. I am also a Certified Fitness Trainer
and Certified Specialist in Performance Nutrition. And if that
were not enough, I train for Fitness and Figure competitions,
and occasionlly do some modeling (fitness, swimwear, fashion,
catalog, etc.).
I
am currently located in the Central Florida area and I’ve been weight
training seriously since June 1998. <return to
top>
The
College Years
When I started college I started to get fascinated with health
and fitness issues and started going to the gym. My major
in college was Computer Engineering, but I would read everything
I could get my hands on related to health and fitness. The
problem with this was that I wasn’t making any attempt at really
applying what I was reading. I was not consistent with my
training and I didn’t eat as clean as I should have. As far
as training was concerned, I always felt intimidated because I wasn’t
confident that I knew what I was doing and I didn’t know who or
where to turn to for guidance. Maintaining a clean diet
was difficult because I still lived with my parents so I ate whatever
they cooked. And as most college students know, when you’re
on the run between work and school, you eat whatever you can get
your hands on and whatever is cheap. <return
to top>
A
New Life Begins
After college I lived so far from the gym that I let my gym
membership expire and attempted to work out at home with aerobic
tapes. But, again, I wasn’t consistent with it. Also,
I still did not embrace the benefits of weight training.
Like so many women, I feared I would get all bulky and that was
definitely not what I wanted. I thought that if you ate
healthy and did aerobics you were all set. Oh, how wrong
I was.
I
started to take private lessons with a highly recommended martial
arts instructor. I managed to earn my 2nd degree
black belt in Kung-Fu and was actually teaching children’s classes
before I was involved in a serious auto accident that caused me
to have to put martial arts on hold.
After
college I started to gain weight. I was always used to home
cooking at my parents home and never really had the chance to
cook for myself or anyone else because dinner was always ready
by the time I got home. So, I was having fun cooking all
kinds of different things. I always tried to watch the sodium
and fat content of what I made by looking at a recipe and determining
how I could make it healthier. However, doing all that cooking
didn’t leave much time for working out. My schedule started
to get hectic and I began to eat out a lot more or order food
to eat in. And even though, I tried to make healthy choices,
I was still slowly putting on more weight. <return
to top>
Life’s
Tragic Turns
In February of 1996 my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
And from that day my life took a downward spiral as far as doing
anything healthy for myself was concerned because I focused all
my energy toward my father’s care. He had surgery to remove
his prostate, but the tests after the surgery revealed that they
might not have gotten it all, so they treated him with radiation.
And to further complicate matters, the day after he was released
from the hospital I was involved in a serious auto accident that
caused my car to flip over and skid about 100 feet upside down on
the highway. Fortunately, I was not seriously or permanently
injured. However, I spent the next 6 months going to physical therapy
several times a week because I had lost the range of motion in my
neck. If all of that wasn’t bad enough, my dad was then diagnosed
with leukemia. He passed away in April 1998 after battling
the disease for almost a year. During my father’s illness
it was very difficult to maintain any kind of workout program or
healthy diet when I was either at the hospital or at my parents’
house helping to take care of him. I ate what I could when
I could.
Watching
my father’s life ebb away was the most difficult of life’s challenges
I have ever had to face. At that time, I focused entirely
on caring for him and seeing him through his illness. After
my father’s death, I struggled with my religious faith. I
just couldn’t understand how God could allow a human being to suffer
such an agonizing death. A few months after his death, I realized
I had to try and put my life back together and figure out a way
to live my life without him in it. So, I started to work out
at the gym to attack the one thing that was depressing me the most
at that point—my weight. At 5’3” I was 134 pounds and 36%
body fat. I worked out on my own for about 6 months with little
or no results. However, a rude awakening occurred when there
was a big family wedding coming up and I didn’t bother looking for
a new dress for the occasion because I knew I already had a dress
that I wanted to wear. Unfortunately, when I tried on the
dress before packing it to go to Miami for the wedding, I realized
it didn’t fit anymore. I was devastated and I promptly called
a trainer at the gym and scheduled a consultation for as soon as
possible. Furthermore, I realized how much weight I had gained
over the years when I got the pictures that were taken at the wedding.
I was definitely not happy and I knew I had to make some very big
changes in my lifestyle and eating habits. <return
to top>
The
Journey Begins
When I made the decision to hire a personal trainer I made a
commitment to do what was necessary to accomplish my goal.
I was not going to be like the other people I saw who would pay
their trainer and not follow his/her advice. I saw that as
a big waste of money. So, in the beginning my motivation was
the check I wrote out every 4 to 5 weeks to the trainer.
Even
though, I read all I could get my hands on about health, nutrition
and exercise, I never seemed to be able to put it all together in
a program that worked for me. After working with the trainer
one month, he helped me to put together a diet and work out routine
that actually worked for me.
Because
my schedule was still hectic, I prepared all my food ahead of time
so that I was never without something healthy to eat. I politely
declined desserts and goodies at work, family gatherings and other
social events. Once my co-workers, family and friends recognized
my determination, and they got used to me saying, “No thank you,”
it was easier to turn down things I knew I shouldn’t be eating.
I made time to get to the gym at least 5 days a week for 1 to 2
hours at a time. I added a structured weight-training program
and balanced that with sufficient amounts of cardio. At first,
all of this was rather daunting and I can easily see why most people
give up, but I was determined to reach my goal. After a while
the food choices, food prep, and the workout program became second
nature. I worked out a regime that fit into my busy schedule.
I actually looked forward to my workouts and I felt my day was not
complete unless I had gotten in all my meals and worked out.
<return to top>
Hard
Work Pays Off
After about 6 weeks my body began to adjust to the diet and the
workouts and I began to see results. They were not big changes,
but my weight did begin to come down and I began to feel more energetic.
My new source of motivation was when I started to see the numbers
on the scale and the body fat percentage begin to decrease at a
steady pace and my clothes started to feel loose. Eventually,
my clothes got so loose that I had to start buy new clothes.
In retrospect, I think what really got me hooked was that I started
to see muscle definition begin to show in my arms and my strength
and endurance were increasing. It was at that point I realized
I wanted to do more than just lose the weight and tone up a little.
I wanted to add more muscle definition, keep increasing my strength
and be as strong and lean as possible. I really liked the
way my body was transforming and that’s primarily what kept me motivated
to be consistent and persistent with my workouts and to continue
to eat clean. I strive to maintain a steady pace in my development
and to keep researching new developments in the health and fitness
industry. Essentially, the key to seeing results is consistency.
I
cannot even begin to express what it feels like to wake up in the
morning and feel good about myself and be happy about what I have
achieved and know that I’m doing everything possible to maintain
my health. <return to top>
Competing
In June 2001, I entered the Lightweight Women’s Open Bodybuilding
division of the Mid-Florida Classic as my first competition and
placed 2nd. Even before this competition, I contemplated switching
to Fitness, but I was apprehensive because I didn’t have a gymnastic
background. However, after attending the Monica
Brant Fitness Classic at BodyRock
2001, I was convinced that I had to find a way to cross over
and compete in the Fitness Division. In October 2001, I entered
the Figure division of the Southeastern Bodybuilding, Fitness
& Figure Championship. Unfortunately, I did not place at
this competition, but my goal was only to work on my stage presence
and get a feel for the physique rounds in the Fitness division,
which are the same as the Figure division.
For the last several years I’ve been working with a gymnastic
coach learning tumbling skills and strength and flexibility skills.
Also, I’ve been taking hip-hop dance classes to help me with the
choreography in my routine. <return to top>
The
Journey Continues
I am a Certified Fitness Trainer, Certified Specialist in
Performance Nutrition and an active member of the National
Physique Committee in both the Fitness & Figure divisions.
As I continue to work as a Software Engineer I decided to start
a Professional Fitness Training business, Max Q Fitness, to help
service fitness-minded individuals.
I
find it rewarding, both mentally and spiritually, as I help to
educate my training clients on how to attain their physical and
nutritional goals. And as an active member of the fitness industry
since 1998, I not only instruct individuals on the benefits of
a lifestyle based on physical and mental fitness, I am also living
proof that a lifestyle that includes a sound nutrition and exercise
program produces results.
I don’t know what the future holds
for me. For now, I am focusing on being in the best physical
shape possible and I’m training for Fitness and Figure Competitions.
For me, competing is not about winning or losing. It’s about
being proud of what I have accomplished and wanting to share my
enthusiasm for health and fitness with others. <return
to top>
Spreading
The Word
My goal is to be a positive role model for all age groups
and to help promote and make people aware of the unlimited mental,
physical and spiritual benefits of a healthy lifestyle. A lifestyle
that includes a clean diet and regular exercise and can positively
influence one's outlook on life--it did for me. I also want to
motivate people to continue to pursue their dreams and their own
personal fitness goals. One of the most flattering things someone
can tell me is that I inspired them. <return
to top>
Conclusion
In conclusion, I want to reiterate that this was a lifestyle change
for me. It was what helped me put my life back together
after my father’s death and it’s what helps to keep everything
else in my life (which is a lot) on track. It helps me to
keep things in perspective and gives me a sense of mental clarity.
I can look back at where I started and realize I can accomplish
anything I set my mind to as long as I pursue my goals and dreams
with the same determination. <return to top>
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