Page 98 - Demo

98 || FITNESS MAGAZINE || OCTOBER 2015 MFM: When you are competing, you get to witness other competitors training or preparing themselves for competition or for stage. What are some aspects of preparedness or training that you%u2019ve picked up on, or learned, from a fellow competitor?AR: One thing that I learned from other competitors in getting ready for a show is to have fun! I can remember one of my first shows I was so nervous and not that enjoyable to be around! I was so focused on getting a trophy that I missed that this was supposed to be fun. I would see girls backstage having so much fun and I realized that is was what I wanted. It made me realize that competing is fun and more about building friendships and motivating others than a trophy that no one will remember in 5 years!MFM: When you are training for a competition, what are your prime focuses when it comes to your training schedule and your diet? AR: When I am in competition prep, I set goals for myself. My primary focus during this time is to work towards reaching these goals. This goes for my training and my diet. It can be something as simple as building biceps a little to more complex goals of tweaking diet to get my lower body leaner.MFM: What extracurricular activities do you do which enhance your level of fitness or your physique?AR: As I stated before I love life on the water, and I love paddle boarding which is a great workout! I also take kickboxing twice a week which I have been doing for about 3 years now. Kickboxing is an awesome total body workout! I really feel that in contest prep it helps with my cardio.MFM: What are your favorite food ingredients to use when you are in the kitchen, and what are your favorite spices?