Redefining 2014

We are exactly a month and a week into 2014 and I haven’t written my usual rant about “what-I’m-going-to-change-this-year-and-what-is-going-to-be-better-and-which-fitness-event-am-I-going-to-aim-for” like I do each year when a new year starts. I haven’t done so because I’ve came to a conclusion that will probably kill the entire purpose of this blog, but here it is: it is not always about fitness. Life isn’t all about fitness. There is so much more to life than being able to deadlift 300 lbs or to appear on the cover of Inside Fitness mag. And please, do not get me wrong – I got nothing against deadlifting or Inside Fitness nor posing for fitness magazines. I am not turning my back on fitness altogether, please, if this is the message you get after reading this post, turn around, slap yourself in the face once or twice, put a pillow on your face and scream as loud as you can, then, come back and read again. The conclusion I’ve came to over the past few months is that life isn’t entirely about fitness. Fitness isn’t the center of the world. Being ultra fit doesn’t mean you’re a better person. Being fit is great, but being healthy is what we should all aim for. You see, fitness is one thing and if you’ve been following my few posts over the past 6 months you’ll know that I’ve been going from competing on stage to just training for fun to crossfit to, well now you don’t know what I’m turning to because there’s a bigger picture here and that’s what I’m getting at. I have been unhappy with my fitness goals lately because I was looking for balance even though my goals remained focused around “competing while having a balanced lifestyle (which is impossible by the way because you always end up wanting more and focusing on the date of your show)” or “doing crossfit while training in the gym and maybe getting a shot at the Games in 2015”. It always seemed realistic to me and I would always make it my #1 priority in life, putting everything else second. As long as I got my crossfit or gym sesh in, everything else didn’t matter. It wouldn’t matter if my apartment was a mess or if I hadn’t finished my readings for school. That’s what it was all about, no matter what the goal was, I would train, go to work and see if I’d have time left for other things. That’s what big shot athletes do right? Eat, sleep, train, train and repeat. I used to look up to these people and think “That would be sweet, to be paid to train all day and just do what I love” but I’m sorry to say, these people are missing out. Yes they are big shot at what they’re doing, they’re super athletic and most likely popular and a lot of people look up to them. I am not taking away their achievements, but what happens to these people when they get hurt? Or when they can no longer perform in their sport?  I don’t know. I don’t think any of us truly know. They go back to their life and try to put it back together, trying to fix whatever injuries they may have and they try to cope with the fact that they can longer practice the only thing they were ever good at and now, they have to find an everyday job that doesn’t consist of training all day.

Let’s face it – I never came close to becoming a big shot athlete at anything. Sure, I am athletic. I love sports. But that doesn’t mean I have to stick to only one thing and have a goal to make it my #1 priority in life. I could compete for fun on stage, but I’m a bit of a perfectionist and I now know myself enough to say that I wouldn’t be able to. Because I’d always want more and wouldn’t be able to NOT make my life revolve around competing. I love crossfit and found new goals and ways to push myself with it, but let’s be honest here, no way I’m making it to the games. It’s like me starting to swim tomorrow, swimming everyday saying “I’ll make it to the Olympics in 2000-whenever the next summer games are”. Reality check here: life, for your average everyday worker, like me, doesn’t consist, and shouldn’t consist, of training for a high end fitness event because you are most likely to a. get injured b. get sick of the sport you picked up before you make it to the big league.

I’m not saying one shouldn’t aim high and have dreams. Because if nobody had that dream of being the best of the best, we wouldn’t have the Olympics at all. I’m just being realistic. Who doesn’t have a full time job, school, kids, a wife or husband, bills to pay, aspirations to be a better person, friends and goals for their career and their family? All I’m saying is that I, Sophie de la Sablonnière, am personally redefining fitness for myself because I got it all wrong all these years. Actually, I didn’t get it all wrong, I just grew up. Fitness shouldn’t be what I promote but rather health. Being fit is one thing, being healthy is another. I want to write about more than just my workouts and my goals for competing. Having a healthy lifestyle consist of more than the hours logged at the gym. It’s about having a warm home you love, taking time for your loved ones. I want to write about more than just fitness. My job, which takes up a big part in my life, where I learn so much more than just pricking people with needles, my life, where I rediscover being healthy through moving, I can run one day, practice yoga the other, and yes, maybe sign up for a race or two wanting to beat my own time. I know I’ll never finish first at a marathon, my blond hair and fair skin gave it away – I am not a Kenyan. I want to write about juggling it all together, time with friends, sex (oh gosh! I’m blushing!), having a baby (mom don’t worry when reading this, not pregnant…yet!), planning to buy a house, everyday stuff that makes my life healthy! This is my new aim for 2014; being healthy. I could change the name of this blog although, Healthy-Soph doesn’t sound as fun as Fitness-Soph, so just bare with me here.

If you want to keep following me, please do, because you’re going to get more bang for your buck! If you don’t, they are plenty of people our there making fitness and competing they’re #1 goals, I’m sure you’ll find one to follow. I’m just tired of chasing dreams that are unrealistic – they just end up making me feel like a failure, which I am miles away from! I am great at my job, I’m an awesome step-mother and I like to think I am a good girlfriend/fiancée when it’s not that time of the month (you all know what I mean). I think I’m funny, or just a loser thinking I am funny but who cares, I can live with that, I have nerdy tendencies but I don’t care and I am a hopeless romantic, and I love it! Basically, I have more to share than how to do a strict pull up and where to get a great tanning lotion for your next competition, if you know me personally, you know that already, and if you’re just reading me, well, my friends, you’re about to find out, because life is about more than fitness. Being healthy involves so many things and I want, I need, to write about them. So let’s do it! Who’s with me? 2014 won’t know what hit it!

Once you go Crossfit, you never go back

A couple of years ago, when Crossfit started blooming in Québec, I decided to give it a try. My verdict – I hated it! I thought it was too fast and too technical for anybody who had never lifted to just do it, and I had some lifting experience, just not the crossfit one. The true reason was, I wasn’t new to the training scene but Crossfit was an entirely different type of training than what I was used to and therefore, I completely sucked at it! Being the perfectionist that I am, I decided it wasn’t for me and that I didn’t like it. I took me years to get comfortable in a weight room, learning programs and new exercises every day. Why would I put myself through another type of fitness related stuff, looking like an idiot trying something new, when I had weight training and my competitions. My verdict at the time; Crossfit sucks! Now, don’t get all up on your horses here. That was 2 years ago when I was younger and couldn’t stand not being good at something new I tried right away.

A little over a month ago, I decided to give Crossfit another shot. Did I suck at it? Yes. Was it difficult? Yes. Did I hate it? Hell no! I fell in love with a brand new challenge along with the mentality coming with it. You see, in the world of crossfit, you do compete against others but your biggest challenger is yourself. Unlike fitness, nobody cares what you look like, what color suit you picked and how you did your hair. It doesn’t matter if your legs are more developed than your shoulders or if you’re not “dry enough” comes competition time. With crossfit you push yourself everyday to life heavier but also faster. It has a great mix between cardiovascular training and lifting as well as gymnastics.

Every day when I go in, I never know what to expect, I still get this tingling feeling in the pit of my stomach, a mix between excitement and fear, a good fear, more like a sort of good anxiety because I want to nail whatever will be written on the board that day. There’s always something new, wether it’s a snatch or a pistol. There’s always a time to beat, a weight to target or repetitions do to as many time as you can. It always changes keeping your body guessing.

Another positive point for crossfit is the amount of energy burned during a single session. Since I’ve started, my appetite went through the roof. I now consume probably twice as many calories as I used to and haven’t packed a pound. I’ve put on muscles, especially on my back, thanks to all those pull ups, but I’m almost as lean as I was when prepping for my last competition, and God knows I’m not counting calories anymore. I don’t eat junk, except for a pop tart here and there (seriously, it’s like I’m 5 and discovering pop tarts for the first time these days), but I also don’t follow a strict diet like I did a few months back. I just make sure to balance my proteins and my carbs and to throw in some veggies. I eat when I’m hungry and I eat until I’m full. I also eat thinking I want to have enough energy for crossfit, yes I am obsessed.

Crossfit has really given me a new perspective on fitness. It’s helping me on my new quest for a balanced and fit lifestyle. I incorporate 2 or 3 crossfit sessions in my week depending on how I feel and complete the week with some weight training. I don’t have a fixed workout program as I adjust it according to what we did during crossfit. Crossfit is truly my new obsession and for those of you who personally know me, once I’m obsessed, I’M OBSESSED!

If you haven’t tried it yet, you should give it a go for sure. Crossfit is challenging, hard and awesome!

 

To compete or not to compete

Over the past few weeks I’ve been wondering to myself why I had this strong desire to compete. Is this really want I wanted to do? Why? What would it bring? Satisfaction to achieve something maybe? Do I want to be the next Nicole Wilkins? Of course. Is it possible considering I work full-time as a nurse, go to school and plan on having a family in a near future? Probably not. I love training and always thought that I needed that specific goal to keep me motivated. To be honest, the whole tanning, buying heels and getting all dolled up just to step on stage doesn’t appeal to me anymore. Yes these people on stage have incredible physiques, but do I need to show it off in order to feel proud of myself. Yes people competing are amazing athletes but do I want to dehydrate myself to get that dried up look? And what about that post competition feeling – that fear of gaining that weight back. Let’s be realistic here – I’m never going to become the next Nicole Wilkins or Erin Stern and those girls do not walk around all year round looking shredded as they do on stage. It’s all about balance. I thought I could do it all, I realized now that competing might be causing me some unnecessary stress that I don’t need. I’m a girl who loves to eat healthy and who loves to train. I love to push my limits and set goals but maybe competing in a fitness competition isn’t what I need. I’m probably going to get a few haters after this post, don’t get me wrong – I’m not dissing anybody in the fitness industry. I just don’t think it’s for me. Back in high school, I used to hate myself and suffered from bulimia and anorexia. The truth is, the closer I get to a competition, the closer I get to this feeling on control and fear I had back in those days. I’m not a vain person, I don’t need for people to see my 6 pack on stage to feel good about myself. Not that everybody who competes is vain. I just don’t think I’ve been wanting to compete for the right reasons – I thought it would bring me that body I’ve always wanted and that peace of mind but au contraire – it has made that feeling worse. Younger, I always needed people’s approval in order to love myself but at the end of the day, I’m the only one who matters the most. I don’t want to put myself through insanely strict diets and dehydration just to feel “liked” or feel better about myself. I’m a fit girl, I’ll always be, I eat healthy and always will but I’m in quest for balance. I want to find that joy I had after a workout, that feeling of satisfaction. Not a feeling of “having to go” to the gym or “having to cut down” on food because my body fat doesn’t drop quickly enough for showtime. I love transforming my body, playing with exercises and bringing up some parts of my body that need some work. I said it and will say it again – competing isn’t for me anymore. I’m not that 16 years old little girl who needs people to tell her she’s beautiful in order to feel beautiful. I KNOW I am beautiful and as corny as this will sound – inside and out. So there, you have it. FItness competition are no longer in my future.

Want to know what is? Because I’m a goal driven person and I wouldn’t be able to just quit competing and leave it at that of course. I used to play basketball in high school and loved that team feeling. After 4 concussions I had to stop and never picked up another sport by fear of not being good at it. But I miss that competition feeling, the team feeling. I’ve recently experienced this feeling through crossfit. I’ve been going twice a week and met awesome people – we always push ourselves and encourage each other. And boy let me tell you – I have plenty of personal goals I can work on in this areas – toes to bar, kipping, snatch, clean and press. All so exciting. Plus the feeling of having completed something doesn’t come from stepping on a stage all oiled up and shredded – it comes from being able to lift heavier or beat your time, to set your PR higher. I watched a friendly competition over the weekend and found that team spirit again. Yes ,you’re by yourself performing the workout but your teammates are there too suffering through it, just like you. I saw the look of satisfaction on my friend’s face after completing her set. It was amazing. People cheering, people pushing themselves and not just standing there doing quarter turns all dried up. So you have it. I’m not putting the weight room behind and I’m not 200% sold to crossfit. I’m balancing between both, using the weight room to work on those muscles that are weaker during crossfit. I’m not putting this blog behind and I will still be posting recipes. I’ll also still follow fitness competitions, I just don’t dream of it. I’m expanding my horizons and who knows, maybe in a year or so I’ll be competing in crossfit. So stay tuned, we’re taking a different path but I’m still on a fitness journey that is filled with goals. Keep following people.

Heart warming Chili Recipe

Fall being here, I love eating comfy food. The clean version of it, that is. As promised on instagram (@fitness_soph), here is the recipe of one of my favorite comfy food – chili. I know I promised to post it up the day after I posted the picture but I tend to procrastinate a lot and to get caught up with work, gym etc.

Be sad no more peeps! Cause here it is! Sorry for the delay.

Ingredients

• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 onion
• 1 Tbsp of each: cumin, chili and paprika
• 1 tsp of each: cayenne pepper and ground coriander
• 3 Tbsp of olive oil
• 680g of ground beef (extra lean)
• 540mL red beans
• 796mL canned diced tomatoes
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• a pinch of salt and pepper

In a blender, mix the garlic, the onion and all the spices.

Put the mixture in a frying pan mixed with your olive oil for about a minute, then, add your ground beef.

Once the meet is fully cooked, add tomatoes, red beans and chicken broth.

Let it simmer on medium heat for 15-20 minutes.

Top it off with sour cream (or Greek yogurt for a cleaner version), add some fresh cilantro and a little bit of low fat cheese.

Enjoy! It actually tastes better heated up, after one night sitting in the fridge. It gives more time for the spices to blend in. Delish!

Balance

The word I’ve been stressing the most lately to everybody around be, balance. That’s what it’s all about. You need balance in your life no matter what you do; balance between fun and work, between activity and rest, between time with your friends and alone time. You need balance in your diet, balance in your training – those chest and arms guys with no legs – you get the point. While getting ready for my competition, it hit me how I lost all sense of balance – and it hit me hard. I was so focused on getting results fast, I would do everything it would take thus neglecting pretty much everything else around me. I had no energy to make love to my boyfriend – or should I say, my fiancé – was dragging my feet around at work and would cry all the time for no reason. I still hear my coach telling me “It’s normal, only focus on the competition, you’ll cry all the time but that’s ok, stay focused”. Do you know what happens when you stare at something for so long, without blinking, almost forgetting to breathe? That thing you stare at becomes blurry until you can no longer recognize it.

Everything got blurry, I couldn’t recognize myself anymore, this impatient burned out girl obsessed with this one competition was not happy, and hey! I wanted to compete for fun! I’m not making a career out of it, I already have a job I love. My relationship suffered from it, my house was a mess and I could barely focus at work. It hit me in the face hard one day, at work, when I made the biggest mistake of my life and gave 10 times the dose of morphine prescribed to a patient. 10 times! Luckily nothing happened to this patient. Of couse admitting this huge error was hard, I had to face her family, the doctor and my boss. I take this mistake very seriously, and still apologize to the family and think about it every time I step into that room. That I get cold and hungry all the time because of a diet and intense training was one thing, but that the patients I care for get to pay the price for a hobby of mine was unacceptable. Under the light of this mistake, I told my coach I would no longer compete and that I got really scared and needed to get my act together. Still to this day, she doesn’t understand my reaction but that’s ok – I don’t think we see things the same way anyways. No need to say I cried for days because quitting competing wasn’t what I wanted to do and I still felt, and still feel, horrible about what happened at the hospital. I woke up one day and realized – fitness is my passion, it’s a hobby of mind and there’s got to be a way to compete without putting yourself to the street mentally and physically. I do understand that it’s hard and requires many sacrifices. But I’m also convinced there’s a way to do it and keep a healthy lifestyle while balanced meals everyday. That’s what I’m gonna do. I’m about to prove you all out there that you don’t need to eat tilapia and egg whites 20 times a day to step on stage in the shape you want.

So here’s the plan – let’s scratch the next competition on October 26th, it’s too soon. November 23rd, IDFA is where I’m aiming.

After discussing with Dylan, a friend of mine whom I’ve seen get in the craziest shape of his life over the past few years, I came up with a new way to look at things and a new force driving me. I’m gonna add variety to my diet and focus on macronutrients. I’m weighing in at 150lbs as I’m typing this (yes I actually ran to my scale to give you an accurate weight). When looking at macros, I want 1 to 1.5g of protein per pounds, 0.3 to 0.5g of fats per pounds and between 100 to 300g of carbs a day. Because my goal is to keep cutting some fat, I’m leaning towards the lower end of those number – 1g of protein would give me 150g a day. We’re looking at 60g of fat a day and 150g of carbs. If you take in consideration those numbers, knowing that 1g of carbs and 1g of proteins both equal 4 calories and that 1g of fat equals 9 calories, I would be eating 1 740 calories a day which is a bit low but tolerable. Still following? Keeping those numbers in mind, I would be able to write my diet and still eat things that are apparently “banned” from the competition world – you just watch me!

I’m not dissing everybody who has a very strict diet evolving around chicken and broccoli, if that’s your thing, go for it. I’m just taking a different route, trying to prove that it is possible to still enjoy food, family time, training and to not almost kill someone at work.

I now have 6 weeks to put my new plan and philosophy to work – balance is key! And for those of you who enjoy when I post recipes, you’ll be happy to know that with me eating things other than tilapia and chicken, I will have some more interesting recipes to post.

So stay tuned for some interesting changes, I’ve already came a long way and lost 20lbs. I would like to lose another 10 while still staying mentally stable. Let’s do this! Who’s with me?

To see pics of how far I’ve come so far, make sure to follow me on instagram @fitness_soph

Progress so far

 

Queen of comebacks

Let’s be real – I am the queen of comebacks! How many times did I put aside this blog, putting on hold all dreams and hope I had for a promising future in the fitness industry. I know – 3! This is the third time I’m sitting in front of my laptop full of motivation, trying to convince you that I’ll be the next Nicole Wilkins or Justine Munro. You know what they say, third time is a charm.

The thing is, I shouldn’t be worrying about who is reading this and who I’m convincing of whatever it is I’m trying to prove. I’m not trying to prove anything. I have to convince myself first. Throughout the past years, I needed to make sure I was ready to let fitness enter in my life. Sure, I’ve always been an active girl, but was I ready to make all the sacrifices necessary to do this? To invest time, sweat and let’s face it, money, into it? A year ago, the answer would have been no. A year ago, I was still trying to figure out which city I wanted to live in, what I wanted to do in life, struggling between nursing and personal training, thinking I could do it all. The truth is I carried way too many eggs in one basket – I dropped that basket and broke all my eggs. But eh, one’s got to break eggs to make an omelet, right? After thinking I had wasted my time moving from Montreal to Toronto, after thinking I wouldn’t be a good nurse because I was scared, I turned around and faced it all. I realized I’ve always had this “running away” mentality. I didn’t do on purpose. But it was easier to run away from my fears and pretend they didn’t exist than to face them.

A little over a year ago I moved back home. Back at mom and dad’s after 6 years of being away, it felt like a failure to move back there at 24 years old. Especially after saying over and over that I would NEVER come back to Quebec. I didn’t like who I was in my high school days when I lived there – this insecure, afraid girl, always hard on herself, binging and purging, hurting her body when she couldn’t take on more pain. An anxious girl, drinking from time to time to numb her feelings, pretending everything was alright when in reality, she hated herself. I know that everything I went through made me who I am today. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason so here I am. I got my nursing license, I now have a job which I love and where I feel like I make a difference.

Going through with my nursing license was a big deal for me as I thought I would never practice as a nurse, didn’t think it was for me. In reality, the license exam scared the living hell out of me. I hate feeling like I’m being watched and judged so imagine my feeling going from one room to another, being examined while acting like a nurse with an actor playing a patient. I use to vomit just thinking about the practical exam. I made it especially hard on myself since I decided to pass my exam a whole year after graduating, without practicing in the field and by writing the exam in French when I studied in English. Yes I’m bilingual but let me tell you, French and English medical terms aren’t always easy to interchange. Passing this exam is by far my biggest accomplishment.

With a nursing license in my pocket, a secured full-time job and more confidence, as well as a stronger relationship with my family (which was also one of the reasons I moved back to Quebec), I am now ready to fulfill my dreams of becoming a successful fitness model. I never put fitness aside as it is my biggest passion. But I watched, listened and read about it all. I come back stronger than ever, more confident and motivated to pursue my journey which I had barely started 2 years ago. Third time is a charm, I’m telling ya’!

So get back on this page, subscribe and follow me on my journey to become an IFBB pro. Starting in 19 days where I’m making my debut on the IDFA stage in Montreal followed by 2 competitions on later in October and at the beginning of November. My IFBB pro card is far down the road, I’m aiming to get it in a couple of years. In the mean time, follow me through my writing, my recipes, my photos (photo shoot coming up with the amazing Mark Bradfield next week!) and my little random rants.

Thank you for reading me,

Blueberry protein pancake

I have not written a single thing since my last post, full of passion and determination, debuting my comeback into the world of fitness. However, let me assure you, it isn’t from lack of prepping, working hard or dieting. Although I love having you guys read me, I had to prioritize and with a new job at the hospital, studying for my nursing license exam, starting university and prepping for a show in November, blogging has found a place at the bottom of my to do list. I apologize. Since I woke up early, did some HIIT training and prepped some food all that before 8 am, I figured I could take some time and post something. Starting with a recipe! Who doesn’t love recipes?! This is by far one my favorites because I get to enjoy it pretty much every morning, it’s fast and easy to make and so delicious, it doesn’t feel like it’s healthy prep food, it should be a cheat meal! Feels like I’m splurging! And yet, I ain’t! Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the one and only, the amazing, Blueberry Protein Pancake.

For one pancake, you’ll need

• 40g oats (uncooked)
• 7 egg whites
• 40g blueberries
• vanilla extract
• stevia

Mix the egg whites and the oats in a blender until smooth consistency. You can add the blueberries to the mix or wait until the pancake is cooked. I like to cook my blueberries into the pancake, it’s tasty. Add a tiny bit of vanilla extract and a little bit of stevia to the mix. Grease a pan with coconut oil and pour the batter. Cook about 4 minutes on each side and VOILÀ! You get an amazing breakfast full of protein and good carbs and you’re ready to take on you day!

I hope you enjoy, and don’t be shy, I love getting your emails with questions and feedbacks!

 

Taking a step back only to explode forward!

That is exactly what will happen. Actually, the stepping back part has already happened. I mean, come on, not a single post since March? Wow! Time flies! I have to admit, although I was still in the gym 5 times a week, I put the whole dream of competing aside for a while. From a shoulder injury to an ankle injury, I just got fed up, sick and tired of entertaining a dream that seemed unattainable. I couldn’t even look at a fitness magazine anymore! All my favorites, from Inside Fitness to Oxygen and Muscle & Fitness Hers, I just couldn’t flip through the pages anymore because I felt like it was a world where I no longer belonged. Maybe I didn’t have what it takes, maybe I never wanted it hard enough. The truth is I stopped believing in myself. So I spent a summer by the pool,training whenever I felt like it, eating whatever, often skipping meals, always feeling like something was missing. That something was structure. The structure of a well designed program, the planning of a strict diet, who was I kidding? I LOVE all that stuff! So I took some time thinking about my next move; if I were to get back into it, I couldn’t let myself go halfway only to give up and feel like a huge failure again. Nor could I just give 90%, allowing I glass of wine or a cheat here and there. This time, it has to be 200%! And let me tell you, I think, actually no, I KNOW that this time is the right time for me. Everything in my personal life is in order and I have a sense of knowing where I’m headed career wise. I’m all set and so focused. We’re back on people! With the recipes and the interviews, the photos (eventually!) and maybe some videos, I mean, there is a video section! Might as well use it!

My food is all ready for the next few days, my new program is written and I’m good to go! Nothing will stop me this time. I feel like taking that step back this summer made me realize how badly I want it and what I’m willing to sacrifice to get it. I am seriously ready to explode forward! I’m aiming for the OPA Ottawa Championships on November 3rd in the figure category. I’m also doing this 90 day transformation using this new product called NV. I heard great reviews about it and I’m very excited to try it. I know it’ll give me more energy and help me drop for the big day. You can find out more about the product on the following link: www.trynv.com 

So make sure you stay tuned! Because a lot will be happening in the next few months and if you happen to be in the Ottawa area on November 3rd, make sure to come by and cheer for me on stage!

Mel Warrington

Being part of the fitness industry is energizing, motivating, sometimes scary, but mostly amazing! And I’m only getting started! In the past year, I got to meet a lot of inspiring people who gave me a taste of their lifestyle and I’ve been hooked since. It made me want to share just how amazing these people are and so I started interviewing some of them for this blog.

The beautiful Mel Warrington agreed to break the ice and be my first interviewee. Mel has a lot of competition experience, she’s a wonderful mother of 2 and a fitness fanatic. I remember seeing her for the first time at a Fitness Star event and was amazed by her charisma. Here’s more about her, hopefully, like me, you’ll feel totally inspired by this woman! Mel, I cannot thank you enough for sharing some of your time and passion! Thank you!

PERSONAL PROFILE

BIRTHDATE :  April 10, 1973

OCCUPATION :  Accountant by day, Fitness Enthusiast by night!

COMPETITION HISTORY 

OPA Henderson Thorne Natural July/11   2nd place Masters Figure and 3rd Place Figure Medium

OPA Luchka/Obrien May/11  3rd Place Masters Figure

UFE North American Championships Nov/09  1st Place Masters Figure and 3rd Place Figure Open

OPA Ottawa Championships Nov/09  4th Place Figure Medium

IDFA Canadian Classic Nov/09  2nd Place Open Figure Short

WBFF World Championships Sept/09  4th Place Masters Figure

IDFA Toronto Classic  July/09  2nd Place Novice Figure Short and 4th Place Masters Figure

Figure Universe (Miami) June/09  3rd Place Figure Classic

Fitness Star  April/09  2nd Place Athletic Fitness Model Short Level 1

OPA Ottawa Championships Nov/08  4th Place Figure Medium

IDFA Canadian Classic Oct/08  4th Place Novice Figure Short and 6th Place Masters Figure

UFE Halloween Mayhem Oct/08  4th Place Figure Short

1.Have you always been an active person?  Growing up, I was a competitive Highland Dancer…yes, Highland Dancer! I stopped competing when I was 14 years old and after that, became very inactive until the spring of 2008…I never had to worry about my weight but I was what I would call a “skinny fat chick”!! Skinny…but not healthy!!

If not – what got you to start moving?  My divorce plain and simple!! After going through that stressful experience and finding myself a divorced mother of two in my thirties, I knew I needed to find an outlet just for ME.

2. What got you interested in competing?  Before 2007, I never even knew this whole world existed!  My little brother was dating a fitness competitor and she convinced him to do a show…I went to support him and I remember sitting in the audience in awe, thinking “wow, if these women can do it, what’s my excuse?”…so I hired a trainer and was hooked!!  Am an “all or nothing” kinda girl…so no way I wasn’t gonna make it to the stage sooner rather than later!

3. How was your very first show? Take us back to the feeling you had right before stepping on stage.  Honestly, I’ve tried to block that memory from my mind!! I was so unbelievably nervous!!  My whole body was shaking, my knees were weak and I must have looked like a deer in headlights!!  It’s definitely an adjustment to have THAT many eyes on you at one time…and when you’re barely dressed to boot!!!  I remember thinking that it was now or never…no turning back…that I had worked so damn hard there was no flippin way I would ever back out just because of some nerves!

4. Has anything changed for you since then, and if so, in what way?  While I’m still not comfortable with ALL eyes on me when I’m alone on stage doing my T walk, I have come to love competition day.  All those months of workouts, posing practice, hours spent preparing meals, cardio sessions…all of it leads up to that ONE day…that 5 minutes on stage.  Time to showcase all my hard work…and have FUN while doing it!

5. Being a single mother of 2 wonderful children, how do you manage everything? What’s your secret?  Hehe…I do get asked that question a LOT but it’s really quite simple…life is about choices…we determine our priorities based on the choices we make.  For me, health and wellness is a priority…and teaching my kids these healthy habits is also important.  They see the time and focus it takes to get to stage and they support and encourage me.  Balance is key though…and I realize this sport is a selfish sport…so I have said since day one that I will never put it ahead of my kids or my career…they will always come first.  I just choose to spend the majority of my free time in the gym…it’s my ME time…my escape, my outlet…and some would say, my boyfriend!!

6. On days when it’s harder to get everything done or when you simply ‘’don’t feel like it’’, what do you do? What are your tricks to kick yourself in the butt when you lack motivation?  The mind is a very powerful tool.  So on those kind of days – and let’s face it, we all have em! – I try to change my mindset either through reading motivational quotes, listening to an amazing workout song or by realizing that when I stand on stage, the LAST thing I want is regret…I want to be able to say ‘I did ALL that I possibly could to get here’.  Although this is an individual sport, support is necessary for success…as is accountability!! Thankfully, I have found both of those with my fellow teammates on Team Green.  Even though we’re scattered all across the GTA, we support and encourage one another in a way that I haven’t seen in the industry before. So, in case I need an extra kick in the butt some days, one of my teammates is always glad to do so!!

7. What’s your biggest accomplishment?  In life…my children of course…in competing, I’d have to say the 3rd place finish at Figure Universe is my biggest accomplishment to date – I plan on having some bigger ones in the near future! Another huge surprising accomplishment that has come out of all of this is how many women have reached out to me over the years saying that somehow what I do/who I am inspires them.  It is so unbelievably humbling!!  I am just ME…take it or leave it…I do what I can with what I have, as we all do!  I can see how my life is changing directions as I get more and more immersed in this industry…I WANT to help/inspire other women, especially moms, to realize they CAN do it all!!!

8. What’s your favorite cheat meal?  Pizza, chocolate and red wine…and yes, all in one meal!!

9. What’s your workout regimen like? I have an unbelievable trainer, Jason Green of Team Green and he changes our programs up every 4 weeks or so.  I’m now 6 months out from my next show so am still in my “off season” training…but by no means does that mean we rest!!  I’m at the gym 6 days a week for about an hour to an hour and a half each day.  No morning cardio – yet – but I know it’s coming!!!

10. Which body part do you like working on the most?  Shoulders, shoulders and more shoulders!!!

11. Which one do you like working on the least?  Hmmm…I definitely have a love/hate relationship with leg day…hate the hell out of it during the workout as I’m gasping for air
and wondering if I need to make a run for the bathroom for fear of puking (which, yes, has happened!!!)…but in a sick way I guess, I love the feeling the days after leg day, knowing that I done good!

12. What’s next for you?  After having done 9 shows in my first year of competing – yes 9!!!! – I made a decision just over a year ago that I needed to figure out what I wanted to achieve with this sport…what my goal was with it. I decided I wanted to only compete with ONE federation – The OPA (Ontario Physique Association).  There are always shows…all the time…and it’s easy to get caught up in it all, as I did in year one!! You are now able to get your IFBB Pro card through the Natural route within OPA so that is where I’m headed…as far as I can go within the Natural shows only. I prefer their Natural shows as I find it’s a better fit for me so I qualified in my last show for the OPA Natural Provincials which will be September 22, 2012 in Hamilton, ON.  6 months exactly from today, as I type this!!  Time to step it up! 🙂 I’ve also been helping women realize THEIR goal to compete…with workouts and with stage presentation…or just with support…and I really enjoy that a LOT!!  At the end of the day though, trophies don’t define me…being a good Mom and friend is far more important…so perspective is always something I keep in mind…and when I have a weak moment and forget, my BFF is quick to slap some sense into me!!

13. Is there anything else you’d like to add or share with everybody turning to you for  advice?  That I’m no different than any other woman out there…and if I can do this with a business and two kids on my own, then ANY woman can do it – but ONLY if they WANT it enough!!  If something is important to you, you’ll find the time…if not, you’ll find an excuse!

Thank you so much Mel! Good luck on your prep for your show – I’ll be sure to come see you on stage in September.

If you’d like to know more about Mel and would like to contact her regarding posing and training, visit her website at http://melwarrington.com

Shrimp Sauté

Easiest thing to make! Fast, delicious and nutritious!

Nutritional info – one serving gives

• 305 calories
• 18g of protein
• 8.3g of sugar (from the veggies)
• 18g of fat (natural fat from the olive oil)

Just throw everything in a pan and fry it up.

• 2 cups brussels sprouts
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup snow peas
• half a red onion, sliced
• about 15 shrimps
• 5 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp minced onion
• 1 tsp sea salt

Gives 2 servings