Forward Movement Magazine Winter Issue 1 2015/2016 | Page 8

PEOPLE

FORWARD movers

What kind of
treatment did you
undergo, if any?
I have not needed any specific
treatment to date. Surgery is
always a possibility if it gets worse
(that would be my biggest fear!),
but that is a worst case scenario
and not foreseeable at this timethank goodness!

When did you get into
fitness and how has
fitness helped you?
I began my fitness journey in high
school when I decided to com-

and for the overall health of my
body! Over the past few years,
of course there have been times
when I was not completely “on
my game” - I’m only human - but
I always find myself back in the
gym, watching what I eat, and
focusing on my physique.

What sort of exercises
or movements are
more difficult?
Because I am not completely
symmetrical, I train one side of my
back a little more than the other to
try to create that balance. Also, I
can’t do heavy squats or deadlifts,

every time I step into the gym.
I leave the gym on such a high
and know that results will come
as I am consistent.

What is your favorite
body part to train?
Glutes. Maybe that is cliché for
women, but when you find the
right exercise to activate them,
that burn is addicting! My favorite
exercise is the glute kickback
on the lying legs curl machine.
I do 3-4 heavy sets then rep
them out until failure. You will
definitely be sore the next daymy favorite feeling!

I HAVE LEARNED THERE ARE

TO EVERY NEGATIVE THAT LIFE

JUST HAVE TO OPEN YOUR
pete in a beauty pageant. I was
told I looked “anorexic” because
of my thin frame, and I hired a
trainer. What a way to begin my
journey, no confidence boost
there! But I began training with
weights and eating ALOT of food
and I was able to put on a little
muscle to look fuller. Since that
point about 10 years ago, I fell in
love with fitness and have made it
a lifestyle. I loved the idea of not
just being thin but being strongthey say strong is the new skinny,
right? My motivation changed
from trying to gain the approval
of trainers and judges to simply
feeling confident and strong. I
did it to be happy in my own skin

which is hard for me because
those are some of my favorite
exercises. Instead, I do those
occasionally and in high repetition. Everyone has a different way
of training that works for them,
so you don’t always have to do
the traditional heavy weights with
low reps to grow. The point is to
activate the muscle and create
that “mind-muscle” connection to
see results!

What is your favorite
way to train?
I love weight training. I love lifting
heavy weights and pushing myself

-8-

It seems that you don’t
let Scoliosis get the best
of you! How has it changed
the way you view life
challenges or setbacks?
If I were to allow the big
challenges in life (like
scoliosis) to keep me
from achieving my
goals, I could allow
the small ones (like
lack of time) to do
the same. All challenges
in life are ultimately the
same in that they can easily
stop you from achieving
your goal. I have learned to