My biggest struggle in my fitness journey was when I decided to compete while I was enrolled in my accelerated nursing program.  My accelerated nursing program alone was a full time job. I had two exams per week, endless amounts of homework and in person 12 hour clinical days every week.  The stress was unreal and unlike anything I have ever experienced before. Trying to compete during this program was pretty much suicide, but I did it anyway.  Halfway through my prep, the COVID-19 lockdown happened.  I had to continue the second half of my prep working out at my house with minimal equipment everyday.  It was hard, but I ended up finishing my prep looking the best I ever had. One week before my show it was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. The show ended up doing an online competition where they had the competitors submit videos of them walking and posing so that the judges could review the videos and still pick a winner in each category.  I ended up winning the 2020 ANBF Women’s Online Bikini Open Competition.

My favorite meal is always breakfast! ¾ cup egg whites, 1 whole egg, oatmeal and blueberries!

The cheat meal I reward myself with is always between two things…PIZZA, or burger & fries!

When I first started out in my fitness journey I was competing. Therefore, I was focused on building muscle and lifting heavy while getting as lean as possible by my show date. This was not always the healthiest process as I deprived my body of a lot of the nutrients, carbs and water it needed towards the end of my preps. Also, the heavy lifting has caught up to me as I now suffer from back and neck pain from time to time. Now I am at a different place in my life where I am more focused on health and well-being instead of just looking good.  Of course eating right and being healthy will come with a bonus of looking good as well, but I have realized that I do not need to go as hard as I was back in my competition days to look and feel healthy.

Setting goals for myself keeps me motivated. I will either plan a photo shoot or work towards getting toned for a vacation, wedding or event coming up. Whatever the goal is, there is a due date that keeps me on track everyday.  Another thing that keeps me motivated is just knowing how good I will feel if I stick to a healthy diet and workout schedule. When I fall off my diet and don’t go to the gym for a few days, I just start to feel sluggish and not like myself.

There are several IG fitness influencers that inspire me, including: Heidi Somers, Katie Corio, Jessica Arevalo and Lauren Drain (just to name a few).

I do take a decent amount of supplements, but my top three would have to be whey isolate protein, BCAA’s and glutamine.  My protein of choice is Metabolic’s Protizyme. This protein helps me absorb protein quickly after my workouts so that I can fuel my muscle growth and increase strength and recovery.  This protein is also low in carbs, sugar and calories so that I can stay lean while I build.  This is by far the best tasting isolate protein I have ever had that is high in protein and low in carbs and sugar. Next, my BCAA of choice is Metabolic’s Tri-Prep. I like to drink this either during or after my workouts. This product preserves lean muscle mass, helps with muscle recovery and promotes endurance. This product also tastes amazing and helps me drink more water everyday. Lastly, the best glutamine I have ever used is Metabolic’s TAG. I use it for muscle repair and recovery. I add it to both my BCAA’s and protein powder shake.