MODEL BEHAVIOR
By Erin Fulbright
FITNESS MODEL ASHLEY YORK
Ashley York, a wife and mother of two, recently won Miss Louisiana in the 2013 NPC Louisiana
State Bodybuilding Championship.
The owner of Ashley Michelle Hair Salon and promoter for the Body by Vi 90-Day Challenge, York
began competing in the bodybuilder world in May 2013 but the training began in February 2013.
York knew of bikini bodybuilding competitions from friends but never dreamed she would compete
in one. That is, not until her husband gave her the motivation by telling her to “just give it a try.”
After two weeks of training, and loosing the first pounds of pure fat, York was addicted. “I was
amazed and went from one competition that turned into six, then Miss Louisiana and then to
Nationals, “she said. “I would have never done it if it wasn’t for [my husband].”
York Saturday down to share a little of what drives her as a spirited young mother, a representative
for health and fitness, and most importantly, an inspiration to others.
ASHLEY YORK
2013 NPC LOUISIANA
BIKINI STATE CHAMPION
Photography by John Oubre
What are your fitness goals and accomplishments?
“My goal was to turn 20 percent of body fat I had on me
to 4 percent and I accomplished that in three months. I
went on to gain seven lbs. of lean muscle mass in the three
months. Went on to win first place in six competitions and
win Miss Louisiana. So I completed my fitness goals and
will be working on a new goals challenges.”
What is your favorite style of training to look and feel
your best?
“I like to do a mix of weight training and little mix of
cardio. I like kick boxing and outdoor running. I change it
up because doing the same thing everyday is not good for
your body and can confuse it. Once I hit a plateau after two
months of working with my nutritionist, I started working
closely with my husband and I would YouTube professional
athletes’ workouts that I admired.”
Do you have a mantra or motivational trick that you use
to stay inspired to work out?
“Yes my inspiration comes from actually inspiring others
and social media has been a huge motivational push for me.
Daily I get messages in my Facebook and Twitter, email
and texts through people whom I would never think were
watching me and I am actually inspiring as a mother who
works and keeps up with herself. And also prayer is a big
thing. And the fact that with my husband, we set a goal and
he keeps me accountable.”
How important is diet and exercise to you?
“I use to think that I looked normal in clothes and ate
whatever and people would say I had an awesome body.
When I changed my diet and spent half the time in the
gym, it changed everything. Diet is key. [Diet and exercise]
go hand and hand. I see people in the gym and nothing is
changing because they are working out with trainers for
an hour and then the other 23 hours of the day they are
shoving whatever in their mouth. I follow a plan from my
nutritionist and eat six meals a day every two hours.”
What impact does your physical state have on your
quality of life?
“It gave me a more positive outlook. When you feel better
you can help others. I am a better mother, wife and person
because of it, I am happy with myself. I gained a new found
respect for the people that take care of their body and time
to work out.” BRH&F
Fall 2013 brhealthandfitness.com
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