That year, I did a record of 7 contests with my last and closest I ever got to the Olympia stage, a 4th place finish at the Kentucky Pro. It was then that my body, through months and months of continuous dieting began to break down on me. My energy was in the dumps and I finally went to the doctor to get checked. I had the scare of my life- I was informed that my hormones (from the strict dieting, low caloric intake and 4 hrs a day of training) looked like a 60 year old woman!! My cholesterol (both good and bad) were almost nothing, my hair was thin, my joints ached and I knew it was time to call my competitive days to an end. (On a healthy note, once I put back on some healthy weight and lowered my insane 2 gallon a day water habit, my levels looked like a different person and I was completely feeling terrific.)
Having hung up my heels and sparkly IFBB pro suits in 2012 after a 7th place finish at the Toronto Pro I was wondering around the gym without a goal anymore. That’s when cross fit happened; a very good friend and neighbor of mine literally drug me into CDR Redlands. After the “wod” was over and I was lying on the ground in a pool of sweat, I was chosen to compete 25 burpees in one minute to “save” the class from another round of whatever the workout was. I was hooked- my competitive spirit was fulfilled and I have been a crossfitter ever since.
I now run the nutrition program at Crossfit CDR, where we teach new members about functional nutrition, how to make your diet work for you to fuel your workouts, be a better athlete and improve your health. We do nutrition challenges, both group and individual to help people change their bodies and improve their health.