Silent Saturday (that time I competed at the ARNOLD)

Yesterday's post was super wordy, I promised less words and more pictures today, so here you go!  In honor of Arnold weekend - a look back at the time I competed in the Arnold (2 years ago) - enjoy!

And an EXTRA old picture - from the 2011 Arnold! 

#TransformationTuesday - My Transformation

My transformation has brought me from a life of too much partying and a lot of unhealthy habits, to a strong, healthy, motivated, and determined person – fitness taught me how to grow up and grow out of some of the bad choices I was making, and focus on goals that would improve the quality of my life.

Same person, new priorities

My new version of 'happy hour'

I started working out as a way of overcoming a rough point in my life – the gym gave me structure and balance that I desperately needed.  I was spending my free time exercising instead of partying, and every aspect of my life began to improve greatly.  After I had been in the gym for a few months, I decided I wanted to try out a Figure competition.  I got on stage for my first time in May of 2010 – the picture on the left below is from that show.

2010 - 2011 - 2013

The picture in the center is from my first NPC Figure Competition and marked the point in my life when I finally decided I needed some help with all of this – I needed a trainer.  Up until this point, I had been training myself – which for some people may not be a difficult thing but for me (and a lot of other people) it was just too much – even trainers need a trainer!  I cannot even begin to tell you what a huge difference having a trainer made in my life – Kimmy taught me more than I can ever thank her for and offered motivation and accountability – and she helped me reach my goal of competing on stage at the Arnold!  Not only that, but I gained a best friend out of the deal – can’t beat that!

When I was training myself, I was overtraining and undereating – maybe not to an extreme, but it wasn’t good.  I had a very unhealthy relationship with food and the gym and Kimmy helped me overcome that.  After training with her I learned not to be afraid of food and not to be afraid of rest – it was only after learning these things that I was finally able to reach my full potential as a bodybuilder.

2011 (undereating and overtraining) to 2013 (more food and more rest days!)

My transformation has been a 6 year process – and it is nowhere near over.  I have no real end goal, just small goals along the way – I train for life, and I train like there is no finish line – because for me, there isn’t.  There isn’t a stage or a meet or anything else in my near future – just me kicking my own ass day in and day out to constantly be a better version of myself.  Bodybuilding for me is a lifestyle – I eat, sleep, and breath it – and I truly love what I do.  It has changed my life in so many aspects, and has made me who I am today.

Fitness is my passion, and I am honored to be able to share my passion with anyone and everyone who wants to learn more about it.  If you are interested in starting (or continuing) your own transformation journey – feel free to contact me, I would absolutely love to help you reach your goals!

#ThrowbackThursday: Rafting the Gauley River!

One thing you will probably hear a lot about on this blog (especially as summer approaches) is whitewater rafting.  When I met John, he shared this passion of his with me – and I absolutely love it!  I am no expert by any means, but he has taught me a lot and I can only hope to improve with every trip we take.

This is from a trip down the Nantahala River - it was my first time paddling!

In October of last year we took a trip to West Virginia to raft the Upper section of the Gauley River with both of our families – 10 people total in 2– and it was honestly the most fun we’ve ever had!  The Gauley is known as the ‘Beast of the East’ and for good reason – it is made up of class 3-5 rapids, and is one of the most popular advanced whitewater runs in the Eastern US.

We took our trip with a company called Class VI and had an amazing experience – both of our groups had fantastic guides and the company took really good care of us – if you are looking into this I would highly recommend them!  They provided all of the gear, gave great instruction, made sure everyone came off the river in one piece, fed us, and gave us beer when we were done (huge plus there!).

(From Wikipedia) There are dozens of rapids on the Upper Gauley; the most notable are the "Big Five":

• Insignificant (Class V - ironically so named because the first expedition reported "nothing significant before Pillow".)
• Pillow Rock (Class V - accessible via a steep trail from Carnifex Ferry Battleground site. Extremely powerful and intimidating rapid.)
• Lost Paddle (Class V - a long, treacherous rapid consisting of four sub-rapids: First Drop, Second Drop, Third Drop, and Tumblehome.)
• Iron Ring (Class V - so named for a large iron ring which had been anchored in a rock near the rapid by loggers many years before. The ring was cut and removed by vandals in the 1980s.)
• Sweet's Falls (Class V - named for John Sweet, a canoeist and pioneer of Gauley rafting in 1972.

Now, I don’t recommend doing a river this intense as your first run, but if you can start small (and safely) whitewater rafting is a great sport!  You can plan a trip with friends and have a company take you down the river (which is absolutely best for first timers) whitewater kayaking is also a big thing for individual boaters.  Don’t be fooled though, a river is not “Disneyland for adults” and needs to be highly respected – it can be very dangerous.  It is a great outdoor activity and will trick you into getting a really good workout – you use a lot of muscles you may not have even realized you had.  Another bonus, it is always such a beautiful experience – the rivers are always really pretty with great scenery – the Gauley was absolutely breathtaking especially because all the leaves were changing for fall.


Have you ever done any whitewater rafting or kayaking? Tell me about it! I would love to hear your experiences :-)