CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE JAN/FEB 2020 ISSUE | Page 55

PAGE 20 FEATURE Now I would never want to put my friends or family through this again, however for myself, I grew as a person exponentially. If I am being honest, bodybuilding became an obsession to me. Now yes to be successful in the sport you do have to be selfish at times, you must make sacrifices, no doubt about that, but you don’t have to push away your loved ones, you don’t have to be high strung and only focused on one aspect of your life. You can succeed in bodybuilding and grow in other areas too. Top pros such as 7x Olympian IFBB Pro Flex Lewis are living examples of this. A businessman, a family man, and an Olympian. That’s what Flex is, and I am willing to bet if you asked him what title means the most to him, it’s probably family man. Yet for me, I was one dimensional. The only title I had and the only one I cared about was “Bodybuilder”. Since the accident I have learned what “LIVING as a bodybuilder” is like, not just “being a bodybuilder”. I have continued to focus on my bodybuilding while becoming multi-dimensional. I train hard and follow a strict nutrition plan year-round, while growing who I am outside of the gym. My coaching business (Millertime Fitness and Nutrition) has grown tenfold to where it was previously. My own goals changed from winning my IFBB Pro Card to helping others achieve this same goal, which this season I was blessed to earn my first IFBB Pro Card as a coach at the Canadian National Pro Qualifier in Toronto with my Men’s Physique client Maverick Rites. My personal relationship went from slowly fading to flourishing and as of recently I have gotten engaged and built my first home with my Fiancé. I have found the healthy balance between life and bodybuilding. I still often get asked if I will return the stage one day, and as much as I would love to (this sport will always hold a special place in my heart), I have nothing to prove. I can be a bodybuilder, without stepping on stage. GEARS My goals are no longer to be on stage. My goals are to help others accomplish theirs (both in lifestyle clients and competitive ones). They are to continue to build my best physique daily, while living a healthy balanced life, grow my business, start a family, and travel.As of today, my heart health continues to improve with each quarterly checkup. In fact, I have been taken off some of the medications which I was told I would be on for the rest of my life. Through proper exercise, nutrition and aggressive natural supplementation focused around heart health, I am truthfully living my best life.  A life that was almost taken from me in the blink of an eye and a life I was told I could never resume living.Remember this - Your situation does not define you. You are not a victim.