CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE JAN/FEB 2020 ISSUE | Page 55

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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.