Page 24 - Demo

24 || FITNESS MAGAZINE || NOVEMBER 2015 MFM: You are a certified police officer-is that where you first took interest in fitness and being in shape?IP: I am state certified but not actively working as a police officer at the moment. I was in law enforcement for 7.5 years. Law enforcement can be a demanding job, and I travel a lot for fitness and my business. I had to make the decision of letting one go, and I chose to move forward with my fitness career and starting my own businessBloom Through Coaching. I miss law enforcement, but it led me to really understanding my purpose, which is helping people find themselves. It%u2019s one of the things I do at Bloom Through Coaching. MFM: As an officer, what was the most physically demanding part of the job? IP: Staying up all night. I worked the night shift by choice; it was the most fun. 10:00pm-8:00am. No matter how many years you work it still takes a toll on your body. If you had a court appearance in the morning it sucked; it was tough trying to stay up and drive all the way downtown not knowing how long trial would be. Once I started competing it was even more difficult because after work, I would go straight to sleep if I didn%u2019t have court. I would wake up go straight to the gym for at least 2-3 hours, come home, prep my food, and go to work. MFM: What made you want to become one initially?IP: I originally wanted to work for the DEA or FBI, and I needed either military experience or law enforcement. I told my mother I was joining the U.S Marines, and she freaked out. She was afraid something would happen to me. I told her okay then I will become a police officer. Let%u2019s just say she wasn%u2019t thrilled, but she understood it was something I really wanted to do and needed to do for the future I wanted. MFM: You are 5%u20192, has your height ever been a factor in your career, either as a police officer or as a fitness competitor? Or been an advantage/disadvantage?IP: It%u2019s funny, as a police officer I was the smallest in my department by far, at 98lbs. It%u2019s all about your command presence though. As an officer they knew right off the bat that I wasn%u2019t going to take their crap. I respected them and demanded respect back. Of course you have the ones that don%u2019t care if they are dealing with a 7ft tall 300lbs cop, they would still disrespect you and fight. I