Page 182 - Demo

182 || FITNESS MAGAZINE || APRIL / MAY 2015It is said that %u201cyou choose your path in life%u201d and that %u201cyou control your own happiness.%u201d I%u2019ve never believed these sayings more than I do now. However, a few years ago, I still thought that I was stuck with the body that genetics gave me, which I was unhappy with. When I left my job as a physician I thought that I had left my one true path and passion in life and would never find that again. I had the mentality that I had to accept my life as it was and learn to be happy with what I had. Most people get stuck in this state and never find a way to escape. Luckily, I realized that I was wrong and took charge of creating the change I wanted to see in my life. I have read many transformation and success stories but the one below is the first one I%u2019ve ever gotten to write.%u201cI am a 36 year old mother of two and former Medical Doctor. I am currently a national bikini competitor, NASM CPT, online trainer, and am a sponsored athlete with Prime Nutrition, Natural Grade Nutrition, and B-Up Bars. I%u2019m also an affiliate athlete with Six Pack Bags and Bodybuilding.com. I am a contributing writer for Bodybuilding.com, sportsnutritionsupplementguide.com, and also blog for Prime Nutrition.com. I have been featured on bodybuilding.com, Muscle & Fitness Hers, RxMuscle.com, Quest Nutrition Blog and in Muscle & Fitness Hers magazine. I am happy with these accomplishments, but I am looking to become even more involved in the fitness industry. I see every opportunity as a way to help inspire others and to try to reach out to those who may be in the situation I was in a couple of years ago.%u201dThat story may be pretty similar to what most fitness competitors write but the reason why it%u2019s a success story is because of the story that it was preceded by. Rewind to eight years ago, I was a surgery intern working 80+ hours a week, surviving on hospital cafeteria food with sky high cortisol levels and zero interest or energy to exercise. I began to gain weight easily and couple that with two pregnancies nine months apart, I weighed my heaviest at 175lbs on a 5%u20195%u201d frame. I quit practicing medicine in order to care for my children and had some regrets about the decision to leave my passion in life forever. For an overachiever like myself, no goal to work for is quite frankly depressing. I became very unhappy and settled into just being an overweight mother. he turning point in my story and the catalyst for me beginning my fitness journey happened when I picked up a Muscle and Fitness HERS magazine and saw pictures of the competitors in the back pages. I had no idea that the fitness industry and competitions existed. I saw several stories of women and mothers who had made amazing physical transformations and began to compete in fitness competitions. I decided right then and there that I was done being overweight and unhappy and set a goal of competing in a bikini competition within one year. As a driven, goal-oriented person, I saw this as a challenge for me, and one that I was determined to do. I created a Facebook page and announced my goal to friends and family so that I could both inspire them to take the journey with me and to keep myself accountable. I began reading as much as I could about eating healthy and the proper diet and training to lose weight and build muscle. Four months later, I competed at the NPC Natural Pennsylvania and won second place in my height class. I was hooked!I am now a National level competitor and am competing to earn my Pro card. While I am determined to go the farthest I can in this sport, Dr. BRANDY SEGURA>>>