Payton Beavers
22
Is there something that motivates and or inspires you to workout, diet and compete in fitness that non-competitors might connect with? Which part do you have the most difficulty with?
I have always been involved in sports and activities throughout my life and started weight lifting in college. I soon fell in love with the transformation that I saw within myself. I became more confident and happy the stronger I got in the gym. Before I knew it, lifting as a hobby soon became competing in bikini. I noticed there weren’t a lot of women in the gym using weights and I soon learned it was because women felt a lack of confidence or discouraged in the free-weights section of the gym.
I wanted to help and motivate other women to find the confidence and happiness that I found weight lifting. I started a fitspo account in Instagram to share my transformation in hopes to inspire other women to eat healthy and train in the gym to boost their self-esteem. If I can touch just one woman and help her reach her goals, it would mean the world to me.
The hardest part about this lifestyle, I think would be injuries. I have had a few injuries that have held me back from reaching my goals. But they have taught me to train differently, so that I can still lift in the gym without further damaging that injury. So I have actually learned a lot from it. There is always a positive to the situation!
How do your goals on stage connect with your non-athletic activities?
What I love about this sport is that there is so much to learn whether nutrition or training related. Being in the health care industry, I have some medical insight that helps my fitness goals. It’s all a science and it is so much fun to learn and expand my knowledge about health.
What do you think is the most misunderstood aspect of your lifestyle?
People who don’t understand the fitness lifestyle typically think that those who compete are “obsessive” or “restrictive”. They don’t understand that skipping one workout or taking just one bite of something off your meal plan will make changes. Yes, it won’t make your physique change drastically, but it can lead into more lenience throughout prep. In order to be successful, whether fitness related or not, you have to make sacrifices. It takes a lot of time and dedication to meal prep, to hit all cardio and lifts 100%, and to practice stage presence (cont. pg. 30).
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