Search for a Trainer and Nutritionist

Getting started is very daunting and so I want to take you back to the very start back before I even went to the gym.

Years ago I did netball and personal training twice a week which I loved. I loved my trainer and we formed a very strong friendship, My partner and I were with her for 5 years. The only reason we stopped going was because she was having babies and she had a lot going on. I’m the type of person who is so loyal that I wouldn’t leave until I was pushed to or in some strange way the universe just pushes me to move on haha. Training was a mobile service so we would meet at our local oval to do boxing, circuit training cardio etc. I remember telling my partner I didn’t understand why I wasn’t losing weight I mean I eat healthy and train twice a week, play netball on Wednesdays and occasionally go for a run every now and then and sometimes I’d have a salad lol (in my head having gone for a run or eating a salad I think I’m going to wake up skinny) I was very uneducated and didn’t understand it all properly.(this is why there needs to be nutrition education in schools dam it haha – will get into why “eating healthy is so different to what we actually ‘think’ is healthy” another time)  So my partner was always telling me I needed to go to the gym to do weight training and my eating wasn’t right.. I would get so angry at him because I was so frustrated at the fact I didn’t understand what that meant and how do I learn to do that?

So once we finished with our trainer my partner Nathan said to join his gym.. I said no straight away. I didn’t really like gyms they intimidated me with all the beautiful girls and big muscley guys and then there was me who had no idea what I was doing. It took some time for me to come around and what got me to say yes was Nathan offering to pay for my membership and he would help train me.. bless him;) So I started going with Nathan – we would go at ‘off peak’ hours as it was cheaper and not many people were there at that time, was also flexible with the hours we both worked.. I was happy to go to healthy life gym as it was local, very friendly, not as busy as all the other gyms so I knew I wouldn’t bump into people I knew – as I’d hate for them to see me working out haha.  So Nathan taught me the basics at the gym and we always would go together, I never wanted to go without him as I didn’t really know what I was doing….. Until I got a job where I had to do different hours therefore we had to change to peak hours and meant I had to go by myself.

So I finally did go by myself but would do the same training as that’s what I was comfortable doing. I got to know the trainers there in time and in winter it gets pretty quiet with their clientele so one of the personal trainers offered to train me. I decided to do PT with him once a week then increased it to twice a week – worked out quite expensive for me as I don’t earn very much but I was committed and for some reason I relied on him each week.. He was a great personal trainer, he would push me really hard and I would still recommend him to this day. But I couldn’t afford to keep paying him and this was about the time I decided to get involved in training for a bikini comp. A few of the trainers at the gym was telling me to look into it and I mentioned to my trainer I wanted to train for it. He didn’t have experience in comp training but he told me he knew someone who could help him and he would work out my plan etc.

So he writes me up a plan, an example of a day is - Monday – squats and lunges,  leg extensions, leg curls etc. cardio 30 mins walk. > I wasn’t happy with it at all as it just didn’t seem to feel right, wasn’t hard enough, I didn’t really feel like he knew enough to get me to what I wanted to be as I had done all that type of training for approx. 1yr yet I still looked the same so how will this be any different. I was really stressed about it as I like having him train me but I just didn’t feel like he was the right trainer for a comp. He’s amazing at general personal training but I think I felt like I needed an experienced trainer in that field. I didn’t know how to tell him about it so I decided I wasn’t going to do the comp at all as it seemed all too hard.

Within this time I found my nutritionist, Sinead from Naed nutrition. She was recommended by the gym I went too. I had a consult with her and was ready for my nutrition plan.
So I must explain this which is a little bit embarrassing but I actually had never cooked before – never ever ever.. I could only do oven food and basics.. no clue on how to use a fry pan or how to steam anything. Yet here I am at the nutritionist wanting my meal plan for comps (god I bet your all thinking how the hell I made it to the stage lol)

So I took it home to Nathan and his family as I live with them and asked if they’d help me cook (I can’t even begin to explain how amazing his family is I love them to bits for everything they helped me with) So I don’t even think I listened when I saw my nutritionist Sinead, when I’m excited I seriously don’t take anything in. So I went home to start my prep – I look at my meal plan and I’m overwhelmed.. I have to eat so much food to what I’m use to and it said things for example; 100grams chicken 1 cup veg etc so I saw this 4 x a day 7 days a week. Automatically the ditz that I am I don’t think of salad so I decide to try and cook all this meat and veg all together all mashed up.. it looked like dog food.. took me hours and hours to make and I made pretty much the same thing for each meal: morning tea minced meat and veg, lunch minced chicken and veg, afternoon tea minced meat and veg, dinner fish and veg. Same thing different portion. I had nooooo idea what I was doing.. so I ate like this for a few days and I would cry myself to sleep because I felt so sick and full.  I just didn’t understand and I didn’t dare ask anyone as I felt it was up to me and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

So anyway back to the training sides of things.  I decided to take a break from training with my trainer as I just wasn’t feeling confident with the plan so I told him I wasn’t doing the comp anymore so we stopped training.  There was a new lady who started working at our gym she was Irish and was the one who was giving my trainer advice but she wasn’t going to give him all the information as technically why would she? She wasn’t getting paid. But she approached me one day at the gym just seeing how training was going and I said I wasn’t going to do the comp as it was all too much and I wasn’t confident in the plan and was just over it, it felt all too hard. She was very supportive and said I should do it but I just wasn’t interested. A week or so later my trainer had put in his resignation so was no longer at the gym anymore..

 The Irish lady from the gym approached me again to see how I was and was talking to me about competing and I’m pretty sure this was when I broke down crying.. I was so upset.. This was also around the time I was struggling with the food. I gave up eating on plan as it caused me so much stress. I wanted to compete so badly but I felt nothing was going right I couldn’t find the right trainer I couldn’t understand the nutrition it was all too much.

So this lady sat me down and I can’t explain how amazing she was. She was very comforting and definitely put a positive spin on the situation making me want to compete all over again. She said I don’t need to spend all my money on a personal trainer if I want to do it that bad I can train myself, I can push myself and I will get there.. I had to be dedicated & committed to staying on plan therefore I’d get the results I was longing for.. This was when she says ‘she will train me’ Her name is Seaneen Copeland and till this day she still is my coach and someone who I adore so much.. (so much love for this lady) Seaneen had experience in comp plans, she competed herself and has so much to show for all her efforts within the body building community – I knew right then and there I was in the right hands!!

When I got my plan from Seaneen I looked at it and I swear I had tears of joy in my eyes I freekin loved the look of my new plan. It was all so detailed so I knew exactly what I had to do how many of what exercise and I just could not wait to show my partner when I got home. I really knew this was the right thing.. Couldn’t wipe the smile off my face!!

Seaneen mentioned I needed to go and see Sinead again regarding my nutrition seeing as though I had got it all wrong and I just didn’t understand. So I went back to see Sinead and she explained everything to me. I didn’t realise there was all this other info in my drop box like recipe ideas, having salad for morning tea and afternoon tea, tuna, all these things that were obviously so simple yet I didn’t even realise. Ahhh now I’m feeling back on plan. Slowly – and I mean slowly haha.. I got use to the plan and more confident in the kitchen with Nathan’s family helping me with each meal. I wasn’t great at meal prepping but I got through it at this beginning stage. I started prep early thank god. I started in October to get ready for a March comp so by the time January came around for the 12week countdown I got the hang of it and was confident in my planning. Ahhh it was all coming together.

So when I had my trainer and nutrition plan I decided to find out about what other girls competed and I wanted to chat to them about a few things.. I think because it was all so new to me I felt like I wanted to just talk to likeminded people. There were three girls that I still remember to this day that I can’t thank enough for actually supporting me, giving me advice and helping me throughout my prep. They were these little angels – they probably didn’t realise but I felt like If I needed help they would be there, I didn’t ask them but it was that security knowing some one cared. I had never met these girls yet they were so supportive, there isn’t many girls out there like that let me tell you. So from the bottom of my heart I thank these beauties for encouraging me and giving me the advice along the way.. so thankyou -  Jade Mead, Kimberly Shawcross and Katelyn Rabey. I have met these girls since and still have so much love for them. We will be competing in October this year together I cannot wait:)

So that was the beginning of a very exciting chapter of my journey to the stage.



Want to know more about my Trainer, Nutritionist and the girls I mentioned in this blog.. see their FB pages here -->


My trainer you can find her on Facebook add her: https://www.facebook.com/seaneencopeland.fitnessjourney?fref=ts

My nutritionist:
https://www.facebook.com/naednutrition?fref=ts

Emma Brown Fan Page:https://www.facebook.com/EmmaBrownModel?fref=ts

Katelyn Rabey Instagram - www.instagram.com/katelynrabey

Jade Mead Fan Page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jade-Mead/596822307000169?fref=ts

Kimberly Shawcross Fan Page:https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyShawcross1?fref=ts

Always Support the locals!!

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@Courtney_piercy

Why fitness modelling is for me

Welcome to my blog guys!! I've started up this blog so everyone interested in my journey can get a better understanding about my lifestyle as a fitness model and of course I’m blogging to help you guys too whether it be in fitness, health, motivation, life, beauty, modelling, clean eating recipes and anything else you guys would like to know. I’m here to help and inspire..
The point of my blog is so you guys can get a better understanding of who I am as a person.. I know you all may see what’s on facebook or Instagram but we all know we only share what we want people to see so of course life seems perfect haha.
But here I will be very honest and open for those who are interested and want an insight into my lifestyle.
 

I chose to do this lifestyle for many reasons; I have always been into sports when I was younger I cant even begin to explain how competitive I was.. I was extremely active and still am :)

I don’t drink alcohol and I’ts been that way for a few years (for many reasons) I may have one or half a drink once in a blue moon because I want too.. It’s normally when I’m in a comfortable environment and no ones told me to have a drink - if you tell me to have a drink or make a big deal that I don’t drink then I will most definitely not have one with you Haha.

 

Another few reasons as to why this lifestyle is for me is because I’m not too social.. mostly because I work 2 jobs and one being a makeup artist therefore I work all those hours people are social for;) and also have my modelling that I work on in my free time

 

One day I thought I wanted to do something different with modeling.. be apart of a new world and I remember my partner telling me years and years ago about fitness comps but this wasn’t big back then and I didn’t know how to start or know anyone who did it. But about 1.5-2years ago I was at the gym and a few people mentioned about competing although I said no at first it planted a seed in my mind.. Slowly more and more people mentioned it and so I started to think about it.. I noticed a small amount of girls in my facebook newsfeed who competed and also one of my best friends which made my final decision and go ‘yup’ this feels like something I’d be interested in. I didn’t want to copy and it could have come across that way but I thought No’ she’s inspired me and that is a different thing. I didn’t know that many girls who did it so I was like this is a great start for me.

I felt like this lifestyle suited me and was a sport I wanted to be a part of. I am passionate and dedicated in all aspects of my life and especially in health and fitness. I was ready to start researching and get myself started.

when I mentioned to my partner that I made up my mind I’m going to be doing it remembering he was one of the people who said I should.. he says to me ‘yeh you should but I don’t think you’ll be able to do the eating part that’s the hard part’ – he says this in a concerning matter not like I shouldn’t do it but never the less I was determined to prove to myself and him I can do anything if I put my mind to it.. so the journey began.. first up how to find a trainer and nutritionist to get me to the stage :)
 
 

A lot of you may look at fitness model pics or anyone in general for that matter and go ‘ahhh I want to do what they’re doing’ but if you really think about it, maybe you just admire their efforts and success. Sometimes I think that’s the confusion. I have looked at someone’s photos and thought that exact saying and I must admit I get jealous but in my mind I must think this is amazing for them – its not what I want for myself therefore I don’t dwell on that jealous feeling, I replace it with admiration. If you think about it have you always thought about doing what they're doing, is that what you feel suits you and your lifestyle, will doing this make you happy. If so then its a go ahead to follow your dream if its not then think about what interests you, what you love doing, what makes you happy and you will be at peace with that feeling of jealousy as you know its not for you. I look at people who go on international trips for a long period of time and I get extremely jealous - jealous at the fact that they can travel anywhere they want to go and not be anxious. I get bad anxiety just thinking of being away for that long, therefore its not for me and now iv found what it is that I love doing and am focused on doing what makes me happy J

These first few blog post will be just getting to know a little background about me.. so In my next blog I will cover how I got myself started, (and gosh that was a struggle) how different healthy eating actually is (I thought I was eating healthy but my was I in for an eye opener)and i'll touch on a few other things.

Once you know my background I’ll get into my daily blogs as I’m coming up to comp prep so this way I can blog about my days, insight to how I train - with some videos attached, what I’m eating, what I’m doing that day, my moods – and their going to be extreme coming up to prep haha, some recipes, tips and how I manage my anxiety and much more. Please feel free to comment or pm my fan page with topics that you would like me to talk about :)