As far back as I can remember I’ve been an active person. As a child I lived in England. I rode horses, was a competitive swimmer and played multiple team sports. While being active was wonderful, my eating habits were not the greatest. I was heavy and didn't feel good about myself.
When I was sixteen my parents moved to the United States. It was a hard move for me. I didn't "fit in". Thankfully I discovered weight lifting. At this time, 1980, it was not common to see females in a male dominated gym. While intimidated at first, I soon began to thrive. I learned basic lifting techniques while totally changing my relationship with food. My body and my attitude began to change.
I continued weight lifting throughout high school and in to my college years. Around this time I also started a career training Arabian horses. It was physically demanding, and at times a dangerous job. I loved it. It did however have a negative impact on my body. I had many nasty falls. It was during a particularly nasty fall that my back was injured. More on that later.
In 1988 I decided to compete in the Ms. Cincinnati Body Building Show. I came in second in the lightweight division. It was a huge accomplishment for me. I was pleased with how far I had come and was excited to see how much farther I could go. However I had to hang up the posing suit after the show. I was pregnant with my first son. I also had to walk away from my career as a horse trainer.
I went on to have three children in 4 years. Life was full with mom duties but I continued to train in the gym as life permitted. Weight training helped me thru my pregnancies and certainly made the deliveries easier. My love of fitness inspired me to obtain a personal training license in 1998. I wanted to be able to share my knowledge, training and love of fitness with others. A year later in 1999 I decided, on a bet, to enter the Ms. Cincinnati competition once again. This was exactly 11 years and three children since the first time. I put on quite a bit more muscle and perfected my diet. I won the overall competition. I was Ms. Cincinnati 1999.
With title in hand, my personal training business exploded. Life was good and I decided I needed a new challenge. I shifted my training towards endurance events. Again, on a bet, I entered a triathlon. Not having ridden a bike for several years, it was not a pretty sight. I finished the event, which included a 6 mile canoe, a 6 mile run, and an 18 mile bike, in less than three hours. While i enjoyed all three activities I found that I really enjoyed the running. I decided from then on I would concentrate on running.
Running became my new passion. I would get up at 4:30 am and run 5 or 6 miles before work. On the weekends I started running longer and longer distances. In the back of my mind, I wanted to try my hand at a marathon. Over the next few years I ran numerous 5k and 10k races. In 2002 I ran the Air Force Marathon, which is held at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base. I finished the event in 4 hours and 20 minutes, which was exactly my intended goal of a 10 minute mile. I decided to tackle the Flying Pig Marathon a few months later. I knew this was going to be a lot more challenging because of the hills of Cincinnati. But I persevered and ended up beating my previous time at the Air Force marathon by seven minutes even though this was a much more challenging course.
A couple months after the flying pig Marathon I was involved in an automobile accident injuring my back once again. This time the injury required me to have surgery. I endured two surgeries, the second of which involved spinal fusion. My neurosurgeon discouraged running.
It was time again to switch gears. I decided to focus my athletic endeavors towards dance. I found I loved any kind of dance. I poured myself into ballroom dance, Zumba and briefly belly dancing.
In 2013 I once again returned to running. Even though I had spinal fusion I was able to complete the Flying Pig Marathon. Although slower than 2003, it was a total success proving that with proper training anything is possible.
Today I still enjoy dancing, running and strength training. I have also added yoga, kayaking and bicycling to my daily activities. I believe that fitness has enriched my life. I am able to do anything I want despite my back surgery. It is my greatest desire to help you achieve your fitness goals.
Body Reflections Fitness
424 Wards Corner Road, ste 130, Loveland, Ohio 45140, United States
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