About Shauna

I’m Shauna. I’m 22 years old and pretty much into anything fitness/health/nutrition related. I haven’t always been that way though. For most of my life I have been over weight, out of shape and miserable because of it. A year ago I decided to finally do something about it. I picked up weight lifting, put down the crappy foods and obtained a new outlook on life. I lost 50lbs in a years time, which is a huge accomplishment for me since I started at 185lbs and a size 13. As of August 09, I am a size 3 and 135lbs.

Growing up I played soccer most of my youth, until I quit the beginning of freshman year. Over the high school years though I got bigger and bigger until I reached 185lbs. After graduating and looking at my prom and senior year photos, I knew that wasn’t who I was. I didn’t feel like I was in my own body.
I had always done cardio whether it was running, on the elliptical or walking, and although it helped me lost some weight, it really started to melt off when I started a weight routine. At first I was scared. Scared to have people looking at me, scared because I didn’t know what I was doing, scared because I didn’t know if I could do it. I didn’t want to venture on the “weight side”. I’m not sure exactly how I got through the initial “I don’t want people staring at me”. I think I just had to learn how to accept it and just told myself it will be worth it, after all I had no choice.

I started researching in my free time on bodybuilding.com and their forums. I can say that, that was the best thing I’ve ever done because it started me off in the right direction. I learned how to eat, how to move from machines to free weights, how to have great form, and best of all, how to feel better about myself.

I never had that as a kid growing up, even going through high school. I was never fully happy with my body. I could never buy small clothes, run and not be out of breath, and just feel as though the world isn’t looking at how big I am. It takes a toll on your self confidence which effects every other part of your life. I was very self conscious but didn’t know what to do about it. I knew nothing of losing weight, eating right or even where to begin.

I was introduced to World’s Gym when I was about a sophomore in high school by a close friend. At first I HATED it, I only did it before the membership was free for a week and I was with my friend. I remember very clearly getting on the elliptical and struggling to do 10 minutes on level 3. I wanted to get out of there as fast as possible not only because I was embarrassed, but because I had no idea what I was doing while everyone around me seemed to have a plan.

I stuck with it though. First it was only once a week, then twice, etc. But all I did was cardio, lots and lots of cardio, which only got me so far. But I was way too scared to go onto the weight side and only did so when there weren’t a lot of people in there.

I started out on machines only, just bouncing back and forth between different ones again without a plan. I still felt lost but at least I knew some of the machines and what they did, right?Eventually I got enough confidence to do a little free weight, but only when it wasn’t packed because I hated people looking at me like I didn’t know what I was doing. But the more research I did and practice my form at home, the more I became comfortable with walking in there and doing what I wanted. I wasn’t all that serious about nor stuck to any actual routine.

I graduated high school in 2007 and after looking at my prom and graduation photos, I hated that I would have to look at that for the rest of my life. I wore a size 14 dress and was at my biggest that summer: 185lbs. After graduation, starting college, and going through a tough time that year, I started my life all over again.

I put a routine together, following some people at BB.com closely about their diet, supplements, and fitness routines. I vowed to stop eating crap, and completely change everything. And after a lot of trial and error since I was completely on my own, I got the hang of it. Part of me wishes I could have started earlier in the life, but I think thats what has made me stronger. After years of being teased, made fun of, and feeling unworthy of a lot of things, I buried all of that.

Today, I’m currently a junior in college going for a BFA in graphic design, but in 2010 I’m also going for my CPT certifications. Fitness and nutrition have become who I am. Some people have their doubts about my goals, or even think it’s crazy or unhealthy (ironic?). Some people try to steer me wrong or tell me what I should be doing with my body or what I should be eating. Some of the things I constantly hear is:

“You are already skinny, why are you trying to lose more weight?” - Do NOT confuse weight with fat. I do not want to lose weight, I want to lose FAT, I want to gain MUSCLE.

“If you keep lifting like that, you’ll look like a man.” – I won’t be polite when someone tells me this. If you currently think this way, you are 100% wrong. It is a common myth that I am on a mission to KILL. Women who look like a “man”, are taking a lot more than you ever will. A woman will NEVER have a high enough natural source of testosterone to build muscle like a man. When you start to think you’re getting “bulky”, it is most likely that you are build a good base of muscle, but still have a lot of fat over them. So pump up that cardio!

“Just one night away from the gym won’t kill you.” - One day a week I have a complete rest day with at most a walk with my dogs, stretching and yoga. You need at least one day for your body to recover completely. You don’t grow in the gym, you grow when you’re resting. But I will NOT miss a workout. Of course missing one day won’t KILL me, but it is part of my daily routine. It’s like brushing my teeth, its not something I think about doing as a chore, but rather a necessity.

“Don’t get too skinny.” – I usually get this from my concerned mother or someone who completely misunderstands my goals. What they don’t realize is that I eat like a man and exercise smart. (Well, my mother knows is but shes still my mother.) I eat 6 times a day, and consume about 1800 calories on average. “I’m always eating” I hear from people who spend a lot of time with me, but I eat smart. I have a ton of vegetables daily: carrots, summer squash, zucchini, spinach, kale, eggplant, leeks, onions, bell peppers (all colors), hot peppers, mushrooms, red cabbage, broccoli, etc. I also go through about 8 cans of tuna and salmon a week, along with loads of chicken breast, wild salmon, lean steak/beef (only once a week, I don’t eat a lot of red meat), Lean turkey, eggs/egg whites, beans, etc. I don’t eat/drink a lot of dairy products, maybe once a week I’ll have a glass of skim milk, if that. I don’t eat cereals or much pasta, or even a lot of bread. Most of my carbs come from oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, couscous, barley, oat bran or sweet/white potatoes. I also don’t eat a lot of fruit, only about once a week. I believe fruit is nature’s candy so I’ll have it once a week at most. I get most of my vitamins from supplements or the large amount of veggies each day. I drink mostly water and green tea.

“A lot of muscle is gross” – I’m not going for the female bodybuilder look so I don’t care whether you agree with my lifestyle or if what I look like suits you. And I couldn’t care less about you think of my goals. Usually people who say this are uneducated with lifting weights and are chained to the cardio machines for hours on end. Although cardio is very vital to my health, and I do it 5-6 times a week, I laugh when I see someone stroll casually on the treadmill or taking their time on the stairmaster with their upper body hold all the resistance while it should be on their legs.

“One bite won’t crash your diet.” – I know my body well enough that there is no such thing as “one bite”. Some people have a will of iron to only have one chip, one bite of a cookie, etc. I am not blessed so I don’t even take “one bite”, simple as that.

“Too much muscle on women is bad.” – I’ve heard this a few times and to be honest, it really gets me angry. A lot of people, and no fault of their own  (well, maybe a little) truly believe this and I’m not sure why. I have no idea where this idea stems from since just the opposite has been proven that muscle on women is HEALTHY. It is especially beneficial as you age since muscle and bone start to break down if you don’t take extra care of your body.

It’s hard making the changes to a healthier you, but nothing worth it is ever easy, we all know that. You have to work hard and stick with it for you to see real big improvements, everyone can do it because it is truly all mental. You won’t get it right the first 100 times you try, but the resl test is getting back up off your knees and doing it again, pushing yourself harder and learning what your true limits in life are. You are much stronger than you may believe.

I’m still working towards my goal, it keeps me from getting bored from the daily routine of working/school/homework/life. It’s my home away from home, and it’s both a best friend and an enemy, its how I keep myself sane, calm, and patient. It’s how I take out my anger, my sadness, and my doubt. It’s therapeutic and I will never give it up.

So read along and hopefully I can finally make my goal come true:

1 year