Follow Roz as she makes her WBFF TRANSFORMATION debut!!

I Want to Live..Giving up is not an Option.

My name is Rosalind E.Tillery. I was born in U.S. Naval Hospital in Queens NY. I was raised in Brooklyn, NY and within Petersburg, VA.   
I am one of 4 siblings the only girl with 3 brothers. Both of my parents are deceased.   My mother died in my arms and was my true inspiration. 

In 2014,  I was approached by a co-worker and friend about  Phoenyxfitness.  This is where I met my coach and trainer, Malenna. My good friend noticed my disposition after the loss of my mother and got me off the couch.  I began working out 2x’s a week with PhoenyxFitness and taking Zumba classes. During the winter I kept getting sick & having knee issues especially going up the train station stairs. I stopped working out. I frequently stayed in contact with Malenna. 
I gained a lot of weight because I wasn't eating right, or taking care of myself. My conditions persisted and my blood pressure escalated.   

On 1/2/2015 I retired after 40 yrs of service  with the  Federal Government.  I finally decided to get complete control over my life.  I joined Y-Fit at the YMCA , Coach by Mr. D.A. & Zero Hour X trainer Mr. E.T working out 6-7 days a week. I realized I needed more of a physical challenge. 


One day while watching television I saw Ernestine Shepherd, a professional bodybuilder that is 83 years old.  She became my inspiration. 

Late 2017, I attended a PhoenyxFitness meeting. The discussion was about competing in the WBFF Fitness Show.  The doubt immediately set in. I am too old. I cannot compete against the younger ladies. What about the elasticity of my skin. Will I be able to transform. 

No matter the circumstances or obstacles I may have or face in my everyday living,  I must learn and understand what it means to attack and focus.   It  begins with a healthy mind and healthy body. 
I also realized I want to live and age gracefully. 

I decided to take the challenge. I was inspired to change my fitness profile and life which consisting of intense weight training, intense cardio, nutrition and food  preparation. I registered for The WBFF Fitness show being held on Saturday, 4/13/19 Transformation Division at the Mohegan Sun with Fitness Atlantic.  

This is the 2nd best decision I made in my life. The first one was giving birth to  a now adult young man who also helped train me along this journey.

The grind is real. I began training diligently.   It took me a while to master the food prep and discipline. During my process I have to pray and tell myself you are stronger than you think. Have I cried? Yes. Have I vented Yes? Have I ever wanted to throw in the towel?  Yes. 
I will admit there’s nothing like having a support system. A coach, a trainer, a mentor, your team members etc . I appreciate the listening ear and positive advice.  

Presently,  I am 95% mindful of  what I put into my body. Why I am not 100% is because I am not perfect. 

Since 1/2018 to the present I have lost 26lbs. I have lost inches.  I feel better inside and out.  I still have a long way to go such as toning. I have a life style change for the better. I hope and pray that my bio gives whoever reads it courage. 

Take the challenge. Take charge of your life.  Love yourself, Exercise, Develop positive thinking, Focus on your goals, Eliminate non essentials, seek support & nutrition. 

My motto: “I want to live”  I told my doctors I only want to see you for my annual exams.   By the way, I thank God Blood pressure is now stable under medication, and knees issues - I can climb stairs in train station, and use Stair-master & Treadmill. 

Finally, I am dedicated, and disciplined to embrace a new fitness life style. 
Overall goals to enhance my appearance and strive to be prepared for potential opportunities in T.V. Movies, and Multimedia, and  Fashion Style Athletic Apparels. 
Giving up is not an option - Water is now my best friend😂😂😂😂😂

Follow Kim as she makes her Diva Fitness Debut!!

A Journey Come Full Circle

Kim's journey with Phoenyx began as a private, online client looking to get into better shape for carnival in Trinidad.  The first time I met Kim in person was the WBFF Fitness Atlantic show in 2016.  A mutual friend and client was competing in the show that year.  She may have mentioned then that she was possibly interested in taking on the stage at some point in the future. I have many people that say that to me, but those words do not always translate to participating in a program and actually going through prep.  

She reached out again though, expressing an interest and we got the ball rolling last year.  It's not easy going from an online program to COMPETITION PREP.  These two things are not even in the same realm of preparation, but Kim was diligent with her program and determined to do it right. One year later, we are just hours away from the same show and stage that Kim witnessed 2 years ago for the first time.  This time, this stage is hers. We are so excited to showcase Kimberly Ashley in her diva bikini debut!!

My Why....I’m 41 years old and have always been into fitness. In college I was on the crew team for 4 years and was captain my senior year. When I returned home from college, I continued to exercise regularly but it wasn’t the same.  I missed the competitiveness. My exercise habits started to not be consistent and because of that my weight was up and down. When I first decided to participate in a bikini competition, it was more of a “bucket list” type of fulfillment.  But as I was going through the process of comp prep, it became much more. I’ve had to confront my weakness (which were hard for me to accept). Consistency has always been a challenge. But in order to be successful in this journey, consistency HAD to happen.  I also saw that I was stronger than I thought I was. There have been days where I felt sorry for myself and that  I’ve wanted to cry and just give up. But I’m so happy that I decided to push through. I’m a nurse practitioner and I work with patients that have advanced heart failure. I want to set an example for my patients.  I want them to know that I understand that maintaining a healthy diet and regularly exercising is hard.  But I’m right there with them.

What I love most about fitness is that you don't compete with anyone else but yourself. You can always be better than you were yesterday. It teaches you patience and consistency and once you start seeing results, you get addicted. You want to get stronger, lift heavier, run faster, jump higher...or whatever your goal might be. Fitness is a way of life. You don’t always feel motivated, but once you push yourself and finish the work out you didn’t feel like doing, you feel accomplished and proud of yourself.

I have been active my whole life, but as I think back, I always did individual sports like dancing or snowboarding. I left my home country of the Czech Republic about 6 years ago, and didn’t really know which way my career would go. I feel like I tried everything. Then I found a book I purchased years ago when I was playing with the ideaof becoming a fitness trainer. I finally studied the book, passed the test and became certified. I quit my job and became a trainer for a local gym. When I look back, I see the huge growth I had been through as a trainer. I love my job. I love being independent and being my own boss. I love leading by example, educating my clients on a healthier lifestyle and helping them reach their goals. I used to work for David Barton Gym on the upper east side. After they shut their doors down, I started to work independently. I have a beautiful relationship with all of my clients and I love to hear their positive feedback and be part of the reason they feel healthier and stronger.

I decided to compete a couple years ago but felt it was not the right time, until January of this year. I knew the time was right and it’s either now or never. I jumped on and through some ups and downs I have loved the journey over all. It’s not easy but it is not impossible. I wanted to move higher as a trainer, get more experience, learn new stuff and also see, where I can take my body. So many times I felt like I am working against nature, gravity and common sense (lol) but it was worth it and I have learned so much on a physical and mental level. I decided to do my first show in Los Angeles as I felt like I can stay more motivated and I have been looking for any reason to go to LA to hug the palm trees! :) My big day is Saturday, April 7th!

Wish me luck! :)

FRIDAY Featured Athlete - Clare

Nonstop Champion....

It’s one thing to set a goal - it’s quite another to know how to connect your actions to that goal.  I had always enjoyed working out and aspired to being fit, but if I am being honest, I also wanted to look the part, to look like I worked as hard as I did.  I enjoyed running and taking classes, and in 2010, I began training with a triathlon team to attempt to conquer my fear and dislike of swimming.  To some degree, I succeeded - I’ve managed to complete several triathlons, but near constant panic attacks in the water always meant I was last out of the water and I could never make it up on the bike or run.  I am a competitive person, and constantly coming last was tough to take.    The other thing that was frustrating - not looking like I wanted to look.  I felt a bit shallow admitting it to myself, but I wanted to look fit, cut, not skinny-fat as I seemed to, no matter how hard I trained.

In February of 2012, I tore one of my hamstring tendons playing ice hockey and spent the following months trying anything and everything to avoid surgery - to no avail.  Having surgery meant I would have to give up running and biking for months while I went through rehab, and I honestly wasn’t sure I could handle it.  But by spring of 2013, it was clear I didn’t have a choice, and I was going to have to put endurance training aside temporarily and find a new aspect of fitness on which to focus.  As I was getting ready for hip surgery, I happened to read an article in the Wall Street Journal by Elite Heat team member Alyssa Cendrowski, who wrote about training with Malenna for her first fitness competition.  I had never thought of trying this, and thought I’d never have the nerve, and was much too old, to take the stage in a bikini.  I had never owned a regular bikini, much less a tiny, sparkly one.  The only bathing suits I ever wore were of the one piece Speedo variety.  But I wanted to look the part.  I contacted Malenna and began setting new goals - if I couldn’t run, bike or do much lower body exercise, I could learn to do pull ups.   I was really worried about gaining weight, not having all that cardio to fall back on, but the fact was, the cardio wasn’t getting it done anyway.  Working with Malenna, I learned you can’t out-train a bad diet.  Starting with the Advocare 24 day cleanse, I became much more aware of what I was eating and what it was - and wasn’t - doing for me.  Gradually, I let myself believe that I could prep for a show, and in May 2014 I competed at Fitness America.  It was easily one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done, and while I didn’t place very high, I ended up a better and fitter athlete as a result.  In fact, the day after the show, I raced a duathlon - a run/bike/run event, a triathlon with no swimming.   No swim meant no panic attacks and no anxiety - and thanks to focused strength training, I am much more injury proof than I used to be.  Many runners and endurance athletes skimp on weights and it’s a mistake.  But it took training with Elite Heat to take it to heart. I’ve been focusing on endurance sports this year, and have qualified for the age-group Duathlon World Championships in Australia this year and Spain next year.  My running has improved greatly as well, and I am hoping to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  As I turn 50 in two months, I’m in better shape than a decade ago, and looking forward to what’s next.  I’m not the best, the fastest, the most talented - not by a long shot.   But I keep showing up at the start line.