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I first met with Sandra just over two years ago, as I wanted to become more motivated and accountable with my fitness training.

I was drawn to her, as she had amassed an amazing portfolio stemming from her various competitions.

It had always been a personal goal of mine to possibly compete someday.

My previous training went through phases. I tried TRX classes, Cross-fit, Kettle Bells and Boot-camps just to name a few. Now, as I hadn’t achieved the results I wanted, I was looking for a more structured program, one that I could stick with, but afforded me the flexibility to balance both shift work and the time required for a busy family life.

Sandra started me with a weight-training program, which helped me to not only learn to lift the weights properly, but also allowed me to incrementally adjust the amount of weight. With her assistance, a “clean eating” guide was formulated, one that has allowed me to enhance some of my families’ favourite recipes. I learned there were things that could be easily substituted in many of my recipes.She had me track my food intake and I was able to meet with here regularly to review my progress.

This last summer, I decided that I needed to set a goal, something that would push me beyond my normal comfort zone. After discussion with Sandra, I set that goal. It would be to compete in my first fitness model competition come fall.

That competition was just 17 weeks away and yet with Sandra’s support, it could be achievable. I told my friends and family what my goal was and the more people I seemed to tell, the more committed I was to see it through.

It meant that I had to exert effort to reach the result. As the time got closer to the competition, Sandra would adjust my training program and diet to maximize results. Physical training and diet are just two things that lead up to entering a competition. Sandra also provided much help with the selection of a posing suit, shoes, hair, make-up, tanning and posing.

As I became anxious, with the date of the completion fast approaching, Sandra was there to offer the much-needed encouragement and to make certain that I was on track to achieve my goal. Sandra had the timing of my last meals, supplements and water intake all laid out in the days just prior to the competition. She gave me some tips on how to calm my nerves, but most of all, she said that I should enjoy the experience. She told me that I deserved to be on that stage with all my effort and the package I was bringing.

Being up on stage was an amazing experience, although nervous I was very excited. Here I was, with weeks of training and following a regimented diet finally competing in my first completion and to place 3^rd in the Tall Fitness Model Division was the ultimate reward for my effort.

I can’t thank Sandra enough for helping me reach my goal of competing. Without her support, training methods and encouragement, I would not have been able to do it with out her. I can’t wait to compete again this summer and have Sandra help me bring a whole new package to the stage.

Courtney Widdifield

My fitness competition experience

My story

I was the cardio queen. I tackled the iron man, marathons and every road race distance from 5km to 50km. I was the girl logging mile after mile on the treadmill or outside. I was a runner and I was pretty good at it but over time I started to plateau, injuries were popping up and I could never attain that gym hard-body I envied, no matter how many miles I logged.

It was time for a new challenge. I’ve been part of the gym community for a while but didn’t have a lot of confidence or experience in the weight room. I’ve had friends who have taken on the challenge of competing in fitness competitions. I have wanted to do one for a while now but it was too scary and out-of-my-comfort cardio zone.

Until I met Sandra…. Sandra had been training a co-worker of mine for over a year. My co-worker had totally changed her body (losing 40lbs, and a lot of inches!) and had improved her diet, fitness, confidence and outlook. I learned that Sandra was a world class fitness competitor herself.

As my 30^th birthday was looming ahead, I thought it would be pretty cool to get into the best shape ever at 30. Impulsively, I looked at upcoming fitness competitions, picked one closest to my birthday and looked up Sandra’s contact info online. I wasn’t ready to tell anyone yet so this was all in secret.

I met Sandra for a consultation and told her I wanted to compete in a show in the category of fitness model. Sandra was non-judgemental and gave information about what she could offer and what would be involved. She made no promises and didn’t sugar coat anything. She learned the show was 14 weeks from the consult date and basically said let’s see what happens. She asked what I wanted out of the competition and made it clear if I wanted to do well, it would probably take longer than 14weeks. I liked her already. I didn’t want someone giving me false promises. I immediately wanted to prove to her how committed I would be and a good client. I mean, I’ve done a frickin Iron man, I could do this. I wanted the “gold star”.

Week 1- Feb 25-March 3/2013

First actual appointment after the consult with Sandra included measurements (scary!), weigh in and nutrition and diet plan. The diet plan was definitely different than what I was eating (I loved my carbs and thought they were crucial to my cardio success). The diet contained a change in carbs meaning the amount and times I had them was different than what I was doing. And what are hemp hearts and greens plus? Plain Greek yoghurt, gross! I was instructed to continue training as I always had and start with the diet.

Off to the grocery store I immediately went, determined to stick to the plan to the letter. The first few days were tough. Also, I had to plan and prepare my whole days meals the night before. This was work. But it was do-able. I was weighing myself periodically on my scale to see minor decreases. Minor though.

Week 2 March 4-March 10/2013

Sandra was off work for a week and had instructed me to stick to the plan she had made for me and we would measure the results of my hard work when she returned. I continued to train, eat , sleep this new program.

Week 3 March 11-17/2013

Weigh in (What the #@%#, I lost 10lbs!) Crazy. I guess the carefully planned nutrition was proving to work. Who new nutrition was that important? Well, I guess a lot of people, but I didn’t want to listen before because I liked my food. I could already start feeling the difference in my clothes. This was awesome! Sandra seemed impressed. BUT, there was still a LOT of work ahead. Time to introduce the training. Sounds good to me, I like training hard. We started with weight training 4x/wk a few muscle groups each session. Ok, this isn’t too bad. She also cut my cardio to only 3x/wk (which was devastating to me at first). AND I got the option of adding a bit more carbs to my day or having one cheat meal. Bring on the cheat meal! Burger and yam fries, yes please!

Week 4 March 18-24

Weigh in… what? No decrease? My cheat wasn’t that bad. I was confused. I had still followed the plan with the one allowable cheat. No fair! Sandra explained, this is normal and back to work we went. I was also starting to have a lot of fun in the weight room with Sandra. It was like hanging out with a friend, while getting my butt kicked. Sandra laid down the law though, no cheat meal this week allowed. Darn it!

Week 5 March 25-31

Hello muscles…. Where did you come from? Sandra gave me a new training plan that was much more muscle specific. It seemed scary at first because it was 12 week’s worth of training with a lot of exercises I didn’t know. We went through the first week and off I went with the plan. Weight training is hard but effective when you actually lift heavier. Lesson learned for me!

Week 6 April 1-7

Weight was still coming off. Very slowly, but surely. I was getting compliments from people more and more regularly. I was also starting to really discover my muscles. I was still hungry at night. But the diet seemed more manageable. However, I was starting to get really scared about the show. I am not a make-up, show type of person at all. In fact, I hate being in the spotlight. What was I thinking? Sandra decreased my fears by starting to suggest ideas for suits and reassuring me. She basically told me just to worry about the training and diet right right now. We will deal with the rest as we need to. Phew, felt better already!

Week 7 April 8-14

Week started off good, then…Duh, duh, duh…. VEGAS! A pre-planned trip to Vegas to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday for 3 and a-half days. Vegas is a hard place to stay on the plan. For the most part, I did. Sandra and I made plans about what to eat, where to find better restaurants and best choices and she encouraged daily workouts and more cardio to keep in tune with my body. There was one day with some slips but I did all my workouts and stuck mostly to the plan.

Week 8 April 15-21/2013

Weigh in post Vegas… Not bad actually, stayed pretty much the same. Sandra says now’s the time to get focused lol I thought we were. I had a great workout with her, feeling totally back on track. We discussed how much more I have to go, weight wise and body size. Let’s do this!

Week 9 April 22-28/2013

Nerves are starting to get to me…. After discussing with Sandra how nervous I was about the whole “stage” thing and all these details, Sandra came up with an idea of a peacock themed bikini (since I love peacocks and even have a peacock feather tattoo) and we searched through pictures and came across one that could work. I loved it! Sandra suggested a woman who makes these specialty suits and I ordered mine. Tracey (suit maker) came back with a sketch and it looked great. Sandra did my measurements and all has been arranged. Whew, that’s one thing that’s taken care of.

Week 10 April 29- May 5/2013

Great week. Feeling totally motivated. Went and saw the NPAA show at the same theatre my show is going to be at and am now starting to really see myself doing it. 4 weeks to go. Everything is coming together, just got to make it through the 4 weeks. I’ve been practicing more in my shoes when I make breakfast in the mornings. Practice makes perfect right?

Week 11 May 6- May 12/2013

Things are coming together. Nutrition has remained pretty much the same but we started to amp up my cardio and interval training. My strength program has remained pretty much the same. I am starting to enjoy the weight training more and more, especially as I see the changes in my body. Sandra and I have started doing more posing and T-walk practice during our sessions. Posing is actually pretty hard. Sandra keeps making adjustments to my poses. I only hope I can remember the proper technique on show day!

Week 12 May 13- May 19/2013

More posing, more weights, more cardio….. Basically eat, train, sleep… repeat. Starting to feel a bit more tired these days but staying on track and staying focused.

Week 13 May 20- May 26/2013

2 weeks out. Diet has switched to mostly green veggies and white fish (gets boring fast!). I was in Orlando for 3 days for work. The final 2 weeks were feeling very challenging the nerves pick up and the stress of it all takes it’s toll YAWN! Best part of the week was the photo shoot on May 26^th. Sandra was amazing as the photo director. She set up the photographer, her friend Sarah did my hair and make-up (and did a fabulous job!). It was a great experience. The pictures turned out great and I’m so glad Sandra was there with me to direct. I’m by no means a natural model so it is great to have Sandra’s input on how to move my body. What a confidence booster that was. Great to do before the show!

Week 14 May 27- June 2 SHOW DAY!!!!

Week leading up to the show was tough. I was losing weight still and I was scared I was losing muscle too. I don’t have that much to work with, so I have to keep what I have. Sandra suggested increasing my carbs slightly. That sounded scary as most of the other girls who I talked to that were doing the show were depleting carbs and water loading and going to take diuretics. None of those things were part of Sandra’s plan. I trusted Sandra though (she had got me this far, why would I ever doubt her!). Count down was on to the show…. I miss chocolate, sigh!

Show Day- Woke up feeling calm and excited. Had a quick breakfast then off to Sandra and Sarah for a pep talk and hair and make-up. It was fun getting ready and Sandra and Sarah took care of all the glitzy glam details. I’m so glad to have them here. Off to pre-show meeting. Wow, everyone looks so good. Getting nervous again!

Back stage is like a circus show, everyone kind of looks like drag queens. Show make-up is very different then everyday make-up wear. All the girls were actually pretty friendly. I think everyone (myself included just wants to get it over with).

Stage time…. Heart is pounding, legs are shaking! I barely remember even being up there. The T-walk actually went pretty well, then posing and comparisons. I tried to stay flexed and focused but I think I was in awe of everything that I did catch myself looking at the other competitors on stage, which is a no-no. Walking off stage I felt relief. Phew, I did it! Yippee.

After we were free from the stage, back to the dressing room to wait for the judges scores. (In the end I came in 6^th in the fitness model short category. I actually didn’t find this out till later though).

Now off to celebration dinner. Bring on the Nachos!!!!

Post-show…..

Big thanks to Sandra for getting me stage ready. I COULDN’T have done it without her. I am still training with her (2 months after the show and plan to compete again). She made the whole thing a great experience for me and I would recommend her anyone who wants to reach their fitness goals.

Robin

Sandra is worth her weight in gold to me…First she helped me to develop self discipline and consistency in my training. Second she taught me about nutrition, what to eat and why. However, most importantly she gave me the gift of believing that if I followed her guidance my body would reach what my mind could not have imagined.

I am thankful for her passion!

Alba

Sandra has been a wonderful help in preparing me for the Figure stage. I hired Sandra to help me build confidence and create a style that I was
comfortable with. We practiced the T walk and posing that is required for figure competitions. With Sandra’s experience she helped me pick out a suit color & design that would work best for my physique. Sandra also helped with make up selection and application for my important day. Sandra has been a HUGE asset to my successes & competition wins.

Thank you Sandra

Erin Crawford

Sandra,

The most important thing that I want to pass along is Thank-you! Without your guidance and support I would not have been able to reach the fitness and health goals that I had set out for myself.

As you know I had gotten far away from my fitness, after being somewhat effortlessly in shape through my teens and early twenties the dreaded metabolism set in and by 30 I suddenly did not recognize my body anymore. That was when I finally made the decision to get back to taking care of myself and I enlisted your help to do so – best move I ever made! You not only helped me lose weight but transformed my shape by guiding me to put muscle in the ‘right’ places but even more importantly you helped me to transform my thinking!! It was in my head where the real problem existed and your guidance through changing my thinking was the most invaluable thing I have ever learned.

There was many times where I wanted to take a short cut or I whined about a certain part of my workout or food routine and I always smile to think of your response which was typically something like ‘you either want to do it or you don’t’ there was never any lecture or reproach just a simple statement of the facts as they were. I soon realized that if I wanted to do it my way I would get the results I had always gotten and so I gave up my stubbornness and did it your way…no surprise here IT WORKED and boy did it work! I was very proud to compete in my first fitness modelling competition (Fame Wold Tour 2008) several months later and was even more proud to look down at my abs in a sort of cloudy bliss :)

I am currently undertaking a different kind of body make-over with my first baby on the way in a few months. With your guidance I have been able to stay very fit and active through out my pregnancy and I am looking forward to hitting it hard after my little ones arrival to challenge the old stereotype that one losses ones figure after having children (you never did). I will provide pictures of the next competition after babies :)

In short Sandra thanks for your support, encouragement and for being an incredible role model to follow I could not have done it with out you!!!

Susan