Growing up I was always an active kid, I did ballet, jazz, tap, horseback riding, field hockey, and softball. At the ripe old age of eleven, my father gave me the non-traditional gift of a set of 10 pound dumbbells help increase my bat speed. It wasn’t until I was fourteen years old that I started to tag along with my dad to use the weight-room at the health club we belonged to. When I started out in the gym I would use the elliptical for 20 minutes (cardio was torture to me), and then I would move into the weight-room to use the machines with my dad's guidance. While I was in high school, I was fortunate enough to learn how to use the weight-room properly and fell in love with lifting. I decided at the beginning of my college career that I was not …show more content…
I kept a gym membership throughout college but I was only going when I left like it and had nothing else going on. After three and a half years of college I had packed on 20lbs to my small 4'11" frame and I wasn't happy. Finally in January of 2013 I committed myself to losing the 20lbs and studied as much about diet and exercise as I could. I started to use instagram to follow fitness competitors for inspiration and tips. I committed myself to the gym religiously 5 days a week for weight training, cardio, and started to prep clean meals for the week. In a matter of six months, I lost the weight that had creeped up on me over my college career and fell in love with this lifestyle. I continued with my workout regimen and with my meal preparation, but I would plan out a specific cheat meal each week so that I wouldn’t unexpectedly binge. In March of this year, just 10 weeks before my first competition, I decided I wanted to compete. I originally thought I would do bikini because I didn't think I had enough muscle for figure, but after one week on my competition diet and posing practice, I immediately changed my mind and decided to do