|
|
 |
        |
|
Upcoming Competitions:I am currently 6 weeks out from the 2008 Pittsburgh Pro Figure. This will be my first show since June of 2005 after taking some time off to have my son and work on my business. This was also a time of great personal growth and reflection for me. I needed to take a step back from competing to get a look at the bigger picture and what I really want to accomplish in my life. I believe that we all have a life purpose. I needed to assess whether the actions I was taking were going to help me towards fulfilling that purpose. My passion in life is to help people be the best they can be. Not just physically, but mentally, spiritually and emotionally. The balance of all these is the foundation of true health and vitality. I am looking forward to returning to the stage. I have always loved being up there There are many people I have not seen in a while and I am looking forward to connecting with them again. I am there for the experience and to exercise those competitive muscles of mine. I am also planning to compete at the California Pro Figure on May 24th, 2008. This year is also another opportunity to overcome another obstacle in my life. I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus in 2006. This is an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack healthy cells in the body. It can range from mild to severe and can even be fatal. This was a devastating diagnosis for me since my mom also has an autoimmune disease. Also I am used to being a very high energy and productive person and I was terrified that this would compromise my goals and dreams. My condition became quite active after my son was born. I became plagued with enormous fatigue, perfuse joint and muscle pain, extreme muscle weakness, and reoccurring infections. I had experienced periods of fatigue and joint pain for years which was likely early signs of this condition. I am really big into Natural Medicine and was extremely reluctant to take the medication that I needed. I had no choice at the time. I began seeing a phenomenal Naturopath who could help line up the appropriate natural treatments with my lifestyle. I also have a great specialist who understands my desires to be medication free and is open to holistic medicine. I currently have not had a severe flare up since November of 07. Flares are when the disease becomes active. It can advance at this time and attack your organs. I have been learning how to identify when I might be hit with a flare. I adjust my lifestyle accordingly at this time to allow for more rest. My doctor says that one of the reasons I am doing so well is because I have taken such good care of my health up to this point. IT PAYS TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!. I have seen people with this disease who haven’t. They can be quite ill and need to be on a lot of different medications. To date, I am on one medication called Plaquinal that is supposed to help regulate my immune function. I have been able to drop the dose over the past 4 months and I hope to be able to stop it soon. Yay! So you will see me on stage. It will be my personal victory to be up there. I guess I feel it is always important to set the bar a little bit higher when ever you can.
Cre8ion Fitness and Wellness:My business partner, Kevin Ferrell and I have a completely redone our business website. We will now be promoting all of our services and products there. They include:
Please visit www.cre8ionfitnessandwellness.com to read more about us, our services and to sign up for our newsletter. We will also be launching our merchant site shortly. We will be selling our programs, supplements, competition supplies, clothing, books and more.
|
 |