www.chrisbermudo.com

Is there something in your life you are passionate about? Have you ever asked yourself why you are passionate about it? And can you remember when you fell in love with what you are passionate about?

Or, have you ever lost the fuel for that passion and felt lost? Then asked yourself, “Should I give up?”

Permanence, perserverance, and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak. ~ Thomas Carlyle

www.illuminatedvisions.com

I have many people ask me what motivates me to do what I do and how I stay so motivated. I also have many obstacles that try to break me down to the point where I will give up.

Everyone has a life story that leads up to why they do the things they do. And the choices they make in life.

Let me tell you a story of a young girl who’s passion for health and fitness began back when she was in the 7th grade. She was an ugly duckling growing up. The “red-headed tom boy” who couldn’t get a boy to look her way unless it was to make fun of her. Not to mention she was a late bloomer. At the end of her 7th grade year, she had a huge crush on this boy. He tortured this girl by teasing and tricking her, but she still liked the little turd. In her yearbook he wrote “Have a nice summer, and hope you start developing.” Years of being the ugly redhead who was extremely shy finally began to develop in high school and broke out of her shell a little. Boys began to like her, but she had no idea how to handle the change, and any boy who asked her on a date, she refused to say no because she didn’t want to hurt their feelings. At the same time, girls weren’t so nice to her. She didn’t have many friends, mainly because she moved to another school just about every year. The gym became her best friend, where she would go morning, afternoon, and night. She continued to study and learn about fitness and nutrition. She wanted to learn how to help and inspire others with the knowledge and experiences she was developing. Years passed by, while she worked in the medical field, she figured out a way to help others…..becoming a fitness trainer…..then she started a family…….now she could give up or evolve…..she competed after having children to show mom’s how they can get their body back after child birth…….then opened a fitness center…..got a great sponsorship from a supplement company…..and now she is still finding different ways to inspire and help others through health and fitness.

You obviously have figured out who this story is about. Why am I passionate about fitness? I feel grateful for the life experiences I have had and I love feeling healthy. I love the opportunity to help others. I love knowing that as long as I take care of myself, then my family will be well taken care of. I feel passion to help young girls who need a positive role model. I feel passion to help mothers who feel like they don’t have a choice to feel healthy. I feel passion to help others who are lost and need to find that motivation to reach their dreams and goals.

Have I ever felt like I lost my passion? You might be surprised, but yes I have. I have been rejected over and over so many times, and have tried winning that first place trophy so many times, and I continue to keep going and keep trying to get better and better. However, sometimes I feel like I will never be good enough no matter how hard I work. But those are the negative thoughts that easily sneak into our minds and try to shut us down. I will never give up. What fuels my passion?…many times it is the rejection and the people who say I can’t do something. I have faith and believe in myself and I also believe in YOU! When you feel like nobody believes in you or that you will never reach your goals, remember the questions from the beginning of this blog. Reflect on your life experiences and find that deep down passion that you know is inside of you. If anyone has ever said you can’t..they are wrong!  No matter what it is in your life that you love to do and the things that you wish to accomplish…..you can…and you will…DO IT!

www.aaronbelford.com

There’s no feeling similar like the exhilaration after finishing a great Zumba Fitness class. Have you ever had one of “those” days when you really don’t feel like exercising, but would rather go home and do absolutely nothing? Instead you choose to go to a Zumba Fitness class just because your friend said she would meet you there. Before you know it, class has began, you feel the music and let it take control, and you say to yourself, “What the? Class is over?” And you feel awesome! Wow! “One of those days” just got better from spending one hour in a fitness class! This is one main reason why I love teaching and taking Zumba classes.

I don’t think I have ever shared my Zumba story with any of you!

So….. Let me take you back in time…. It was 2006 and I was personal training at a gym in Yuma. I had a very dedicated client who traveled weekly between Yuma and Phoenix. She would tell me about these fun and exciting fitness classes she takes when she wasn’t training with me. We did not have such a class in Yuma but it sound like something I would really enjoy. One day she brought me a flyer from her Zumba class. In giant letters it read:  ZUMBA INSTRUCTOR TRAINING!!!!! I thought to myself, “I should do this training to add something different and new to my fitness resume.” I went online and looked it up….(at least three times). I invited a close dancer friend to come with me, but she was unable to fit it into her schedule. I hesitated to sign up alone, but had a feeling that I should go through with it! With my credit card in hand, ready to make the commitment, I went online, and WHAT?!!!! Is sold out????? Well, I guess it’s not meant to be at this time.

Two years passed by and I received a phone call from a friend telling me he was going to LA to get licensed to teach Zumba classes! I was so excited for him! I explained how I have wanted to do that for two years! He invited me along! I immediately made plans to go. I still had never taken a Zumba Fitness class, only heard about them through my client. At this time, my husband and I owned a small gym where we had expanded a small aerobic room, but did not have any aerobics instructors! This could be perfect, but my plans were to get the license to teach, then be a backup for the instructors I would hire to teach at our gym. I had no idea I was getting ready to change my life!

And that was exactly what happened! I couldn’t stop dancing myself into the best shape of my life! There was one person in my Zumba class, then the class began to grow and grow and GROW! Before we knew it, we needed more instructors! We licensed a handful of amazing individuals who were great additions to our team! Our classes were packed every class! Then, the entire town of Yuma had Zumba classes and Zumba instructors everywhere! It was wonderful! And it still is!!!

When my husband decided to become a licensed Zumba Instructor, we became a family of “Zumbaholics!” I can not begin to explain how fun it is to teach with my husband and travel together to take master classes and attend the annual Zumba convention together.

After owning our gym for three years, it was time to move on and close the doors. But our Zumba love continued on and gave us more flexibility to teach & grow our classes. We ventured into RV resorts, which were amazing facilities to teach in! Huge ballrooms with stage and lights…everything you could dream of for a fabulous facility to teach in! After hosting many events, fundraisers, and classes….and building a fabulous group of Zumba Instructors, I decided to take a step back from teaching 15-20 classes a week to only teaching 0-1 classes a week. Many people wonder why I stepped back, and that’s an entire story in itself.

After a year of building a great Zumba program in the RV resorts, we were devastated to hear that the RV resorts wanted to discontinue our summer Zumba schedule. This was hard to accept after working so hard to build it up. However, I believe things happen for a reason, and this challenge helped me realize something very very important.

Have you ever heard, “When one door closes, another opens”? This is so true, and my life experiences prove this statement over and over!

I accepted a fabulous job offer at a facility where I truly feel at home. I’m back to teaching Zumba classes and I love it. My husband teaches with me and I get to see so many amazing Zumba instructors coming to class and many students who used to come take classes when we first began teaching at our gym.

Zumba Fitness has drastically changed my life and has allowed me to share my passion for fitness with many people. I can not imagine not having Zumba Fitness in my life and I look forward to the ongoing adventures that Zumba Fitness has in store for all of us.

Until Next Time….Dance Like Nobody Is Watching!

and

Make today the best day of your life! -Amanda B.

For a list of Amanda’s Zumba Fitness Classes visit www.zumba.com/profiles/15288/amanda-butz

To Find a Zumba Class in your area….go to www.zumba.com and click on “Find a Class”……then enter your city or zip code.

www.aaronbelford.com

Did you lose your motivation to workout and take care of yourself? Why? What happened? And how can you get that motivation back? It happens to all of us. There are times when we get caught up in what is going on that one thing to easily put aside is our health…..it sounds crazy that we can prioritize everything else we do in life and put our health on the bottom of our list. Especially when it should ALWAYS be at the top of our list! How can you function at your best when you are not eating healthy and exercising regularly? What? Did you say you just don’t have time to eat right or you are so tired to exercise? AMAZING! That is an excuse I hear all the time and I truly do not like excuses. I’ll listen to them, but as my husband always says, “An excuse is like a butt hole; Everyone has one and they stink!” If we would all change our attitude and realize that even if you can not get to the gym to exercise for a few days, the one thing we can do is choose healthy foods to fuel our body. NO EXCUSES!

Now, getting back to motivation……how do you find that “MOTIVE” to drive you to take care of yourself? One question to ask yourself: Are you tired of being tired? If you are running low on energy constantly, then when will you get sick of feeling so sluggish? Everyone has different life experiences that add up over time to determine the choices we make. You can find motivation, “MOTIVE” in YOUR life experiences. Some people who are going through a divorce tend to be extremely motivated. Others have an event that they are determined to look their best for, like a wedding or family reunion. And a huge motivator for people, is when a life threatening disease has developed over time living an unhealthy lifestyle.  Nothing is too big or too small to motivate you to hit the gym and eat right.

Here are 5 questions to ask yourself when searching for YOUR motivation “MOTIVE”:

1. What do you want?

2. Are you willing to take ACTION? That means, not just thinking about what you want or how to do it, but DOING IT.

3. Do you WANT it bad enough to do what it will take to get there?

4. Can you visualize yourself where or what you want to be or do?

5. What challenges will you face and how will you overcome them?

There are many questions you can ask yourself to find that motivation. These are just a few. When we ask ourselves questions, our mind begins to think and look for a solution. When your mind is aware and thinking, an opportunity might come your way, and you will be more aware of that opportunity to take action.

I know you can do whatever you set your mind to. Start asking yourself questions and I’ll be following this blog up with things to keep your motivation! So if you have something that motivates you email me…I would love to hear some of your ideas!!! amanda@amandabfit.com

-Make today the Best Day of Your LIFE!!! xoxo Amanda B.

  

Mr B weighing around 340lbs

Mr. B vegetarian weighing 230lbs

www.illuminatedvisions.com

Have you ever been faced with a challenge in your life and been confused on what to do or felt alone? Then, suddenly, you read something, or you see something, or maybe somebody tells you something that hits home to your heart? The feeling of peace and relief is a warm, fuzzy feeling all over your mind, body, and soul…..or if this does not even sound close to anything you experience then ask yourself if you are ignoring the things around you that are there to help you?

I have been so blessed to be around amazing people who have said things to me and they may not even know have changed my life or helped me through a tough time in my life. We all have challenges and obstacles every day, but are we grateful for them? It’s difficult to be grateful for something that is not going right in your life at the time. Right now, look back and think about something that was difficult for you to go through. Now, think about how you felt at the time. How did you get through it? And how do you feel about it now? Did something good come out of it? Are you stronger now? What if it were to happen again, how would you handle it differently? And if you had a friend go through the same thing, what would you say or how would you help them through the challenge?

Recently, I have learned that it is important to share your life experiences and your stories with others. Why? Because how many times have you felt alone, but when you hear a similar story from someone else, it makes you feel better to be able to relate to someone who has gone through the same thing? Take for example, weight loss stories……when someone tells a story about the struggles they went through while trying to lose weight, it helps motivate another person who is going through the same thing because they can relate.

To be honest with you, I am a very private person when it comes to my personal challenges and problems. I focus on everything positive and ignore all of the not so positive things. But now I’m looking at the not so positive things as a tool to use to help others who might be going through some similar experiences. The more I listen to the people around me, the more I hear…the more I learn…..the more I think……

Our lives and bodies are so sacred that we deserve to be happy, healthy and feel great. No matter what challenges we face, we will get through them and who knows, our experiences may help a dear friend one day get through a similar challenge.

I wrote this about five years ago and keep it visible to help remind me why I take care of my body. I hope this will help you too!

Remember: Your body is a temple and there’s no time to waste. We fall into temptation’s path many times, but with a strong & healthy body we can carry a strong & healthy spirit. 

Trust the guidelines given to us through our scriptures.

Eating healthy is an easy way to take care of our body.

Mind and body will be invigorated when you retire to bed early and rise early.

Physical activity every day is vital for your spiritual well-being and how you feel physically.

Love your body every day.

Eventually the world will find the truths of diet and exercise from trial and error.

-Amanda B. 2006

Thank you and love you all!

Make today the best day of your life!-Amanda B.

Thank you so much for taking the time for yourself  to get one step closer to the healthy body you desire! The weather is getting warmer, and it’s almost time to start wearing those tank tops, shorts, and yes…..the bathing suit!!!!! Do you want to feel confident, secure, and proud to strut your stuff this summer? Well, I’m going to give you five tips that you can start doing TODAY that will help you along your fitness journey. Notice when I say it is a “journey.” You are not going to workout for one day or eat healthy for one day and have the perfect body forever. Persistence is what will get you where you want to be. Why should you take the time to take care of your body anyway? Well, you deserve it! You deserve to feel great! You deserve to look great! And it all begins with the choices you make for yourself. Now remember, I can give you the tools you need to get to your goals, but I can not do the work for you. Are you ready to transform your body and transform your life? You can do it! I know you can!

Tip #1

Change your Attitude!

This is one main ingredient in your life when it comes to your health.

I believe our brain is very powerful, and if you can change the way you

think about yourself and the things around you, then your body will begin to change.

What are you saying about yourself in your head? Do you look in the mirror and say “Ewww, if I could only lose this belly!” or “My thighs are rubbing together, how gross!” First of all be thankful for the body you already have! This is so important, I can not even describe to you how this can change your physique when you feel grateful for your current body. Tell yourself that you love your body and you love yourself. Also, be aware of the negative things you say everyday. Do you find yourself saying, “Today was a horrible day! I am so tired and don’t feel like going to the gym!” Change your words to, “Today was a wonderful challenge and I am going to make time for myself right now by going to the gym so I can clear my mind and reward myself for the hard work I put in today!” Now, doesn’t that make you feel so much better? So the bottom line is, change your thinking to the positive before moving on to tip #2.

Tip #2

Take an inventory of yourself!

How do you know where you are going if you don’t even know where you are starting? Take a photo right now of yourself in a sports bra and spandex shorts, or a bikini. Take a photo of your back, side, and front. Then, write down your current weight, measure your chest, waist, and hips with a measuring tape and put today’s date next to your information. This is a great tool to hang up in a place you can see everyday to motivate you and remind you of where you are going.

I recommend to retake your inventory in 6 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks.

Compare and see how much you have progressed!!!!

Tip #3

Find a motivational picture of someone’s body you admire!

I have an entire door filled up with photos of women in bikinis and workout attire who I love to look at everyday. The photos motivate me, and impress me to see how beautiful the lines are on our body! This is a powerful tool to use for motivation. You can look through magazines and cut out photos of the body you desire to look like. Put these photos next to your before photo that you took from tip #2. You can also add other photos to this wall, like certain clothes you would like to wear, or a photo of a cruise ship if you are going on a cruise this summer, or a bridesmaid dress because you are going to be in your friend’s wedding. Anything that helps motivate you.

Tip #4

Plan ahead!

Time to get that planner out and see what you are doing this week! Plan your workouts for the week as if it is an important appointment that you can not miss! Write it down, and if you need to tell your husband, or significant other about your plans, make it clear how important these appointments are for you. I know life happens, and an appointment might need to be canceled, but be sure to reschedule it into your plans, and not give up.

If you fail to plan then you plan to fail!!!!

Tip #5

Fuel your body to feel healthy and energized!

I believe that our body is a walking billboard of what we eat. You can exercise all you want, but if you are not eating healthy, it shows! 80% of what your body looks like is from your nutrition! Yes!!!! I know! That’s why I say “Great abs start in the kitchen!” Before you go through the fast food drive thru, ask yourself, “Is this going to be the best choice for my health and my body?”

Don’t try to rationalize! Don’t make excuses!

Eat breakfast, then eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours throughout the day. Don’t skip meals! Drink 1/2 a gallon on days you are not exercising when it’s cool outside

or 1 gallon+ on days you exercise and it’s hot outside. Do not eat before bed!

Most likely if it comes in a package, then it is not the best choice for you. Fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains should be the majority of your meals. If you are having a craving for foods that are not so healthy, then one or two bites will satisfy your craving, but be sure to drink a glass of water immediately after those one or two bites!

I know you can do this, and these are very simple steps you can choose to do! I would love to hear about your progress! And feel free to pass this along to your friends! I have faith in you!

Make today the best day of your life!

Amanda Butz

www.amandabfit.com

One of the hardest jobs is being a mom. I didn’t realize this until I had my first child when I was 21 years old. My respect for all moms grew at that moment, and continues to grow! I have been so fortunate to meet some of the most amazing moms out there who I consider super hero moms! In fact, I was motivated early in my fitness career from some super hero moms! One in particular caught my eye at a bodybuilding show! She was a figure competitor with four kids and just had her 4th child 4 months before she hit that stage! I was instantly inspired to do my first show. I only had one child at the time and he was about 5 or 6 months old. I figured if the lady with 4 kids could do it, then I could do it with only one! I got busy and used all of the knowledge I had recently learned from earning my personal fitness trainer license. Everything was going great! My body was transforming, with only 8 weeks out from my show! Then I began to feel a little strange…….strange as in “where’s my period” strange. So off to the store for the pregnancy test. And yes, the test was positive! I didn’t believe it, so after the 7th positive test I took, I was in tears watching my entire life flash before me. I couldn’t imagine having more than one child! One was hard enough, how would I do it?!!!! And my show!!!??? I’ve been working so hard for my first show, now all of that hard work would disappear behind a huge belly and cellulite! Then I changed my mindset…..I remembered the lady at the competition who competed 4 months after giving birth, so why couldn’t I do that? For my first pregnancy I didn’t work out at all, now that I had more knowledge about training, I was going to prepare for competition during my pregnancy! So off I went. I was one buff pregnant chic! I was jogging, lifting, eating healthy, and I had gained 50 lbs during the pregnancy! The night before I delivered, I took one last jog, then had some castor oil:-) The next morning I pushed twice and in 15 minutes we had another beautiful baby boy 8lbs 14oz! My body recovered very quickly and began my workouts about a week after giving birth. The workouts were very creative and many times I was holding baby while doing squats or put baby in a carrier. With two kids now, it was very difficult to get to the gym, so my husband and I decided to transform our master bedroom into a gym. It worked out perfect because I was able to do my personal training in our home too. At this time, not only was I doing personal training, training for a competition, raising two kids, but I also had a full time job at a Dr’s office. No excuses for this redhead, it was getting closer to showtime! I stepped on stage 3 months after giving birth and won 2nd place in the Figure Division, 1st in Model search, and 1st in Ms Bikini! I wasn’t planning on doing another show, however I have been competing constantly since 2005!
As a mother, it is very easy to get caught up with taking care of everyone elses needs, but then neglecting the most important person’s needs of all! Mom’s needs! Mom needs to stay healthy and be happy in order to give the very best quality of care to others. To all of the moms for this special day, enjoy this day for YOU, and know that you are appreciated and loved. I admire you and believe you deserve to feel great! Happy Mother’s Day!
-Make today the best day of your life! -Amanda B

Goooooood Moooorning! It’s about time to have a new blog to post! I get to take a breath this beautiful Friday morning and make some time to catch everyone up! My husband(Mr. B) and I just got back from the Europa Supershow in Orlando, Florida. We went with our team; Panthera Labs www.pantheralabs.com  and had a fabulous time at the booth. We were handing out free samples of the pre-workout VME and whey protein samples…..ran into a few Zumba instructors, and listened to some amazing success stories! Our booth was right next to some yummy protein bar samples and right next to them was healthy chocolate candies!!! OHHHHHHH! Talk about temptation, but I resisted. If you know me well enough, you would know that protein bars are like candy for me, and they have a horrible side effect for my tummy! I didn’t want to be “that person” on the airplane ride home who crop dusts all the passengers:-) We were also very entertained at our booth! Close by was one of our favorites, IFBB pro bodybuilder Andy Haman. If you haven’t picked up the last Ironman issue or Muscular Development, check this guy out. He is so much fun! The line of people to take photos with him with his crazy outfits and crazy props…It was great fun to watch!  

I did hit the stage for NPC Bikini and placed 8th. Huge thank you to my trainer Kim Oddo www.bodybyo.com for continuing to kick my butt into better shape each show! Next show is San Diego June 18th!

Ok, so let’s get down to business! I really want you to post questions or email me questions on this topic so we can get down to the bottom of it! amanda@pantheralabs.com  The topic lately seems to be “How can I get past this plateau?”

Have you experienced this plateau effect? Have you been exercising and eating right and just can’t seem to see any more results? You had results at the beginning, but now it’s like you are stuck? Let’s get one thing clear, you are NOT at a plateau(the kind we are discussing today) if you aren’t consistently working out and eating right. If you aren’t consistent, then that’s an easy breezy fix to see some results. Get consistent and see what happens.

• First off, have you ever heard someone say, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and getting the same outcome but expecting different results.”????????? I relate this to plateauing because it’s true! You are most likely doing the same thing over and over and over, and nothing is changing! You must make some changes if you are stuck! Get out a pen and paper and write down what you have been eating and your exercise routine. How long have you been doing this routine? Ok, now what can you change? Here are a few things in your workouts to consider changing up:

1. The intensity and duration
2. The tempo of your exercises
3. The order of exercises
4. Muscles grouped together
5. Try: Tri-sets, Supersets, Giant sets, Pyramids, etc.
6. Try a new workout altogether or join a group fitness class
7. Cardio after weight training or even a different way to do cardio
8. Interval training or Circuit training
9. The number of repetitions and sets
10. Try plyometrics in between sets

Yes….I know, I know, It’s been a week and I still have not unpacked my bags, and I have not told you all about the crazy weekend we had at The Arnold Classic in Ohio! First off I want to say how grateful I am to be working with such a great team (Panthera Labs) I love every single one of our team members and I think we all share a passion for fitness! I’m very thankful to be working with a great trainer (Kim Oddo) who has helped me improve my physique  and who continues to help me along my fitness journey. My family has been so supportive in all that I do, and my Zumba family has been there for me too! I love you all! Thank you!

It has officially been a year since my husband and I closed the doors to Healthy Butz Fitness Club. I remember taking down the signed photos we had collected from the professional athletes over the years. One by one I took each photo off the wall with tears running down my cheeks…..I remember an older gentleman who came in to buy a day pass to use the gym. He kept asking me if I was ok.  I felt like the gym was my baby that had grown up and was moving away from home:-) It was bitter sweet. I knew we could no longer keep the gym open to evolve into other avenues of our fitness goals. We did not have anyone to run the gym while we were out of town, and my ultimate goal is to travel with the family. When you own a business, sometimes you do not have the flexibility to go places any time. I am so happy we had the experience of owning the gym and we have learned so much along the way. Our fitness careers have evolved and continue to do so.

1 year ago: So we closed the gym on a Saturday and I flew to Ohio on the following Thursday for the Arnold Expo in 2010. My husband, Mr. B, took the time off from work to watch our boys while I was gone.

I remember working in the booth at the expo and all of a sudden I see Mr. B walk around the corner and he asks for my autograph! I just scream like a girl, not really comprehending what was happening. I never thought Mr. B would  fly all the way from Arizona to Ohio to surprise me! At the same time I was worried….What is he going to do while I’m working? I can’t entertain him….I have to be professional and not be giving all my attention to my hubby. Well, it was a great surprise and he ended up keeping himself busy and since he loves the products and religiously takes all of Panthera’s supplements, he now works with Panthera too! It’s a dream come true! We get to travel together and work with the same supplement company.

Current: Now it’s 2011 and we just completed a year together working with Panthera, traveling, Zumba, and spending more family time.

I had been training for 12 weeks to hit the stage for the Arnold Classic Amateur Bikini division. I did not realize how big of a competition I was getting myself in to. Four of Panthera’s athletes hit the stage at the Arnold: Brady Johnston, Lacy Lynn Johnston, Rachel Delacazada, and myself. Backstage during check in I saw competitors with jackets that said “Hungary”, “Mexico”, “Germany”, and others I don’t remember. I was mainly focused on being able to have a rice cake with almond butter before going on stage! While team Panthera sat back stage waiting and waiting and waiting, there were girls in bikinis all over the place doing their hair and makeup. Everyone looked great. The top ten from each class would continue on to finals Saturday afternoon. There were hundreds of female competitors, how could the judges pick only ten from each class? Wow! What a tough decision for them! And each girl only gets about 6-10 seconds on stage! Incredible! Well, I felt confident and felt like I looked my very best. When it was finally time for my class to go up, I headed to line up with my bikini bite in hand. I glued my feet in my shoes because they no longer fit my feet after losing so much weight. I was the first one in my class to go on stage! Luckily, I practiced and practiced my turns and model stance. Even though I am still a little stiff in my walk and turns, I am improving. I need to walk as if I am teaching a Zumba class:-) Who wants to practice with me? After I did my turns, they lined each one of us along the side of the stage where we still have to stand and look pretty. Then it was time for call-outs! Usually, if you are in the first and second call out, it means you most likely placed well. They called the first five girls……my number wasn’t called…..then they called the 2nd five girls…HOLY CRAP! Number 38?……wait, wait, my boob is in the way……I can’t look down and see if that’s my number for sure! Ok…..well….that must be me! Nobody else is going! I got 2nd call out?????!!!!! And….my calf and arch of my foot began to cramp!!!! I think I was holding my breath!!!! SUCK IT UP!!!! BALLS UP AMANDA!!!!! I made freakin’ 2nd call out, BETTER NOT FALL ON YOUR FACE NOW!!!!! Every time I tried to move, the cramp traveled somewhere else in my body….but I was not gonna let nothin’ hold me down! I was so excited and thought for sure I made top ten! I waited impatiently back stage to hear my number called for finals…….finally, the loud, bald man came in to announce the numbers……..all ten were called without mentioning number 38!!!! What???? I was crushed…..but that only lasted for about 3 minutes……I had a giant spoon full of almond butter to make me happy, and felt grateful for being on the stage at The Arnold and even being in the 2nd call out. It didn’t matter at that point that I didn’t make it to the finals. In fact I barely missed top ten….I placed 11th. Competing is very difficult at this level, and I know that eventually my hard work will pay off one way or the other. My main objective is to be a mentor for moms and young women to prove that we deserve to take care of our bodies, and we can feel and look great and accomplish many things in our life. Sometimes I think that women feel like they have to look or dress a certain way or can not have a family and live their dreams at the same time. My family always comes first in my life, and I know that I have to take care of this body I have in order to be the best wife and mother that I can be. Competing is a dream of mine, I love being on a stage, and I love helping others reach their fitness goals. I hope to inspire many people one day, because all of you help inspire me on a daily basis! Thank you to everyone for you love and support!

Make today the best day of your life!!!!-Amanda B.

Oh my goodness! I woke up this morning hardly able to move! My hands are swollen and I have a huge gash in my knuckle of my right hand. You would think I have been in a boxing match the night before! Well, sort of!

It all started yesterday morning. As I was headed out the door at 3am, I was startled by my best friend sitting at my door step waiting to hit the gym with me. I honestly thought there was a bum at our doorstep! The adrenaline shot through my body and woke me up as if I just drank a pot of coffee! Stoked that I had a buddy to join me, since it’s not often anyone is willing to wake up so early, the excitement continued through my leg workout. I busted out my leg workout and moved on to my shoulder workout. Oh boy, did that kick my butt! It felt great, and now I was ready to go home and get ready to teach my morning Zumba class. I got through my daily cardio sessions and my friend and I decided to skip our evening Zumba class and try a Cardio Boxing class. Not to mention, hitting something sounded very exciting! We got to the class and there was about 8 of us in the class. I have not boxed in years, so putting on the gloves felt good. Then, my instincts took over and the grunting, yelling, aggressive, crazy redhead in me came out! Wow! It felt great! I thought I was going to puke or pass out numerous times, and I loved it! My shoulders were on fire, and I was sort of regretting the early morning shoulder workout! It felt so good to hit the bag, and to be pushed through my comfort zone. I’m always the one pushing myself or pushing others, so for someone to be pushing me this time, really felt good.

All of the hitting on the bag gave me flashbacks from high school years! Many people don’t know this about me, but I went to 5 high schools growing up and 14 schools all together. I remember the biggest life changing experience was my Junior year. My dad had come to my school and pulled me out of class. He asked me to make a huge decision as a 17 year old. He asked me if I wanted to move 1200+ miles away to open a restaurant. I didn’t hesitate and said I’m ready to move. Moving was not a big deal to me, since the longest we stayed anywhere was 2 years. It was an ongoing joke that we were in the identity protection program since we moved so much. But the truth was, my dad retired from the government when I was 8 and my mom was a traveling nurse. We moved where opportunities took us. This time was a business opportunity moving us. I was very excited about my parents opening a restaurant. Little did I know, it would be such a huge impact on my life. The town we moved to was very small, my class size was about 50, and that was the biggest class! The restaurant was a great learning experience for me on how to run a business, and it taught me how to multitask and work extremely hard without pay. Another great learning experience I had was learning how to fight. Yeah, that’s right, I was in numerous fights my Junior/Senior high school years! Not because I wanted to, that’s for sure! It all started with being the “new girl” and I guess by this time, I had finally started looking like a girl. Yes, I was the ugly girl who boys wouldn’t have anything to do with except be my friend and play in the dirt, building forts, and hunting for frogs. That was me! Well, by the time I started looking like a girl and still hanging with the boys, it caused a lot of problems with the local girls in this small town. At the time I didn’t understand what was going on. I was being threatened by one girl in particular saying she was going to kill me! I was scared to death! She would chase me through town and try to catch me like she wanted to hit me. I was constantly running. We went to the police but they said there is nothing they can do unless she actually tries to do something. I didn’t know how to fight. I have never hit anyone or ever wanted to hit anyone. One evening, I was standing outside talking with some friends, and I heard someone behind me call my name. I turned around, and BAM! A fist right in my face! I had just been sucker punched! I saw black stars and was confused. Then everything was happening in slow motion. I threw off my jacket and this girl was already walking away, I ran at her and said, “No, you just hit me, so we are going to fight! You can’t  just walk away!” I started throwing fist at her face, not really knowing what I was doing. She kept trying to pull my hair and fight like a girl. Before I knew it there was a huge crowed of people just standing there watching us. We ended up on the ground, I had her in a head lock then she had me in a head lock, and my face was being squashed in the gravel. Then she bites me under the arm! I still have the scar! I honestly can’t remember how it all ended. But I was shaking so hard afterwards that I had to have someone drive me home. When I showed up to the house and told my dad what had happened, he was pretty upset. He took me to the emergency room, because I guess I was torn up pretty bad. The nurses had to dig out the gravel from my face and clean up my scrapes and bite mark. We ended up in the police department at 1am. I was sitting there with my parents across form this girl who just beat the crap out of me and her dad. Her dad was apologizing over and over. Then the police officer asked the girl why she hit me. These words I will never forget, “I just don’t like her.” The officer asked her why she doesn’t like me, she said, “I just don’t.” At the time I was extremely confused. Why do you hit someone if you don’t have a good reason? Well, I decided I better learn how to fight, because it seems like there are other people who don’t like me, so I need to learn how to defend myself. My dad got me my first heavy bag and speed bag. Every morning, before school, I was out there punching on the bag and learning how to hit. My knuckles were always torn up with scabs and cuts. After all of this practicing, I ended up getting in another fight! I think I hit the girl pretty good this time, but some other girls held my arms behind my back and this other girl got a great punch to my nose and broke it! My nose was laying on one side of my face. I was so scared to go home and tell my parents that I got into another fight, so I put my nose back in place myself! OUCH! My eyes were instantly bruised, so I told my parents I was playing football with the boys and got kicked in the face. I have no idea if they ever knew what truly happened. I never told them about the fight. Shortly after that fight, my parents closed the restaurant and we moved during the middle of my senior year to another city. I continued learning how to fight where I took boxing and kickboxing classes. I have not been in a fight since then, and don’t plan on it, but I’m glad I learned how to fight, and I am thankful for the entire experience. It has taught me how to be stronger, and it has taught me that people might not like me for no apparent reason, and that’s ok. I also learned hot to fight through life. Life happens and it’s not easy. But the difference between winners and losers is that losers give up and quit. When winners are about to quit, they pick back up and keep going. Sometimes we have to fight to reach our goals and dreams. People will try to bring you down and make you quit, but fight your way through these obstacles and eventually you will see your victory through success!

Make today the best day of your life! -Amanda B.