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.

Follow Dani as she makes her WBFF Diva Fit Model Debut!

Reflections of a Competitor...

I have always been a competitor. As far back as I can remember, I have always loved a challenge.  It is motivation for me.  My parents always encouraged me and my siblings to push and rise to a challenge. As an athlete, fast pitch softball was my sport of choice from 7^th grade through college and that satisfied my need for competition. In college, I chose to study nutrition as I have always had an interest in health, and wellness. One of my professors made a comment one day in class that impacted me.  She said, “No one would take a Nutritionist seriously if they don’t look the part. Your appearance is your biggest marketing tool in this field. Do you look like what you teach?” No matter how shallow that may have come across to some, and feelings it may have hurt in class that day…It stuck with me and I have always striven to find ways to “maintain my marketer”. Not solely for business purposes, but so my clients would listen and be open to what recommendations I had to offer to help them.

After college, I tried various types of activities to challenge me. I stayed in the gym, looked into various sports leagues and fun ways to keep me active and eventually taught pole fitness classes. Once in my career as a maternal and child health nutritionist, life took over. Life happened, stress increased and metabolism decreased.   I saw changes in my body that I have always prided for ”looking the same way in clothes as it did out of them”.  Up to this point, I never really had an issue with my weight or eating well, and took extra liberties with food because of it.  The truth is, clothes can hide a lot. I felt weighed down. While others thought I looked good, I hold myself to my own standard, a critical one…and I was not happy with what I saw. 

In 2008, my friend Ron invited me down to Trinidad and Tobago for Carnival.  It opened my eyes to this amazing celebration of life, energy and beauty.  Bikini’s and Beads….which is NOT what Carnival is all about, but a segment of costumes that I adore. They allow me to feel sexy, free and confident.  These are areas that have for some time made me anxious.  Since discovering Carnival, it has been my annual therapy. An extra benefit is that it pushes me to stay fit because when carnival comes around, you want to fit into whatever costume you choose. Which, will most likely be smaller and skimpier than the one you wore the previous year.  It forces you to be comfortable in your skin…something I have not always been.

I was introduced to my sorority sister and coach Malenna by my friend Sharilyn who had competed previously and was treating her Carnival 2015 preparation as a competition prep.  What an excellent idea!  I began to work with Malenna through online coaching and saw changes in my body I had not seen in years of working with personal trainer’s standing right next to me.  During this time, I branched out as a Nutrition Consultant with NutriDS, LLC, got a website and began to ponder ways to market myself outside of maternal and child health.  While following Malenna’s program I started playing with the idea of competing due to another friend’s encouragement. Gabbie had also competed and looked amazing. After Carnival I decided to go for it.

  I attended my first fitness competition, Fitness Atlantic in 2015 to get an idea of what to expect.  My stomach was in knots watching these women of various ages and from different walks of life that had prepared for differing lengths of time, strut with confidence across this stage, opening themselves up to judgement on their appearance. It takes a lot of nerve and every one of them deserve applause!  When I saw Malenna’s team “The Elite Heat” on stage, their ease and confidence just stood out.  2 of the team members won their pro-cards that night.  I was sold.

I did not know what I was in for….definitely under estimated the toughness of this task.  This journey has been full of highs and lows, self-doubt, lots of faith, tears, frustration, breakthroughs, breakdowns, cravings, boring meals, research, observation, comparisons, shaky moments, lots of sweat, LOTS of laundry, compliments/criticisms, patience, get off your ass-ness (lol) and learning to “Trust the Process”. I am proud that even in my weakest moments, I was able to keep my corny sense of humor. 

Choices that supported my goals had to be made on a daily basis. Prepping meals multiple times a week to not be swayed at work by doughnuts, chips, pizza, etc.  I chose to miss out on social events where I knew I would be tempted to eat and drink things that would not help achieve my goal.  That is not to say that I did not fall short at times.  Being located in Connecticut, I drove at least 4 hours a weekend for this.

Surprisingly, the hardest part to swallow has been opinions. I was told before I began to listen to your coach.  Everyone is going to have something to say, different philosophies, different ideas of what you should look like, but you have to stay the course.  THAT WAS THE TRUTH and it caused for a lot of frustrating days for me.  Days I would stare at myself in the mirror.  You have no idea what your body will do or how it will react to things. What works for some, may not work for all.  It is a lot of trial and error.  Working in a health care setting, I was looking at and counseling on Body Mass Index’s (BMI) and Body Fat charts on a daily basis.  I was forced to throw the idea of that out the window because in this sport, NO ONE CARES. Those numbers means NOTHING on the stage. What matters is the package you present.  As much as I teach “the scale is the devil” and not to allow what it says to weigh so heavy on your shoulders, it took a long time for me to walk that talk.  Acceptance of this has helped improved my counseling and my clients love me for it.  There was so much I did not understand as Sports Nutrition is a different monster than Maternal and Child Nutrition, that I even took a Sports Nutrition course.  It helped my sanity.

As I approach my debut as a WBFF Fit Model competitor, I’m excited, nervous, proud and stronger mentally than when I began this journey.  Competing requires sacrifice and is a team effort. I couldn’t have done this alone. I thank you all for your support, encouragement and a listening ear when all I could talk about was competing.

As challenging as it has been, I have learned so much about myself and I am already proud of me.  I feel like I have done what many others have opinions about but will never do. As I approach my 40’s,  I am the fittest I have been since my 20’s.

 

Thank you to my family, LPTS, Shorblu, Malenna and The Elite Heat, Crystal Marcus and YUMA AND my support system near and far!

It’s me against me.  I’m ready for the stage!

Follow Hecthan as he makes his WBFF Debut!!!

The Road to Perfection

This has been a long bumpy road to get here. I say this because of all the obstacles I had to adapt to and overcome. Skipping drinks at social gatherings, to eating prepped food (which I thank my wife for her huge help) and eating totally differently. Recovering from nasal surgery, and doing double shifts in law enforcement and still making time to lift at the gym is NOT easy.

It all comes down to how badly you want it.  There will never be enough time in the day.You just have to make it happen. So with the motivation and support of my wife, whom gave me idea to try it out, I decided to take the challenge, and push my body further.  As I stated before, I had to make the time. So my days of Muay Thai/Cardio, lifting , eating and work....FOCUS and PROGRESS leads to PERFECTION

WBFF Diva Bikini Competitor Kiya!!

Better than Before

The date of the WBFF NYC show is a benchmark for me in many ways.  Not only is it my second show with WBFF but July 11th, 2014 marked the last day at a company I loved and believed I would build a long career.  At that time, I was devastated that a decision had been made for me about my career and its' future.  I thought what would be next after taking a risk and trying something new.  I accepted my fate, even though I thought I didn't have a plan on my next steps.



I refocused my energy on myself and set out on a mission of self discovery, happiness, and balance.  I figured I couldn't fail if I took a risk on myself at the end of this journey. I leaped off the edge and found myself stronger, more confident and able to tackle any obstacle in front of me.  A year of self discovery, hard work, and perseverance has gotten me where I am today. It's not easy being judged on anything you do.  I know from my experiences, that if you put the work into yourself, no one can ever take that away from you.  I am here and in less than 2 days, I will hopefully take home a win not only for me but for my team, the Elite Heat.  With each challenge over the last year, I've grown exponentially, more than I could have ever imagined.  It's time to celebrate!! Nothing will stop me now.

Follow Marjorie as she makes her WBFF Diva Bikini Debut !!!

A Different Race to the Finish

Fitness, working out and body maintenance has always been at the foreground of my life.  Whether it was running half marathons, bikram yoga or spinning classes, I've always been physically active.  But over the years, I had reached a plateau in my owrkout regiments and began to lose interest in exercising.  It became more of a chore instead of something fun to do.

Two years ago, I began gathering information on the world of bodybuilding and competing.  I had been following a few professional athletes on social meda for some time now, and decided that I was up for the challenge.  Following their tranformation and how they morphed into having these beatiful physiques made me want to compete even more.  I figured, " I can do this. Lift some weights, eat some chicken and I'm good right?" WRONG!

This process has been a true test of my will, determination, and tenacity.  But how much fun I've had throughout this entire process negates all tof the days I wanted to give up.  I've also found comraderie and friendship amongst my fitness/compeititon teammates of the Elite Heat.

The changes I've gone through physically and mentally over the past 7 months have been paramount. Hitting the competition stage in less than 2 weeks is just the icing on the cake.  I'm going to bring my best to the stage and KILL IT! Don't believe me?....Just watch.

Follow Yamilett as she makes her WBFF Diva Bikini Debut !!!

The Author of MY Story

" If you want something you've never had, you've got to do something you've never done." Let's hit it off with this delightful quote! BUT first let me apologize for any improper grammar due to no carbs and water depletion.  Hope I didn't scare any of you just yet. I promise, it will only get better from here.

I was born and raised in the Bronx, and I have two amazing, supportive sisters.  I was never interested in sports, let alone fitness. My theory was always " I don't run unless I am being chased, and if I am being chased by a dog, I won't even attempt it."  LAUGH if you must, but this is the God honest truth!  I was always very diffident.  My mother, as much as I love her, always told me " In this world, you will only have your family. Your friends are your family. That's it" As I grew older, I realized she was wrong.  As bad as this may sound, don't always listen to your mother.  This caused me to have very few friends. I portrayed a cold, inapproachable, self centered person.  I obviously was controlled by my mother's beliefs and it was time to put a stop to it.   I was not happy with the person I portrayed to the world.  With all these emotions running through me, I finally came to a decision...I got a dog.  I figured why not get a dog.?!!??!  Yeah.....that didn't work.  I worked 40 hours a week and attended a university full time. My poor puppy experienced depression.  For her sake, after a wonderful year, I shipped her to my aunt in Florida.  My puppy is healthy as can be now, sipping on a pina colada somewhere. :)

Months later, I started feeling depressed again.  I needed some excitement in my life.  I was tired of living a routine life, and I needed to step out of my comfort zone.  I ad the privilege of attending my friend Laura's WBFF competition show, and in that particular moment, I fell in love!  It was the perfect change I had been seeking.

My main focus was never to compete.  The competition was the ultimate push to complete my fitness journey.  My first encounter with my coach Malenna was seamless.  ( I swear I am not just saying this cause I know she will eventually read it. She is truly amazing! See for yourself! ) :)  Of course, I was nervous, and frightened. I never imagined I would stick through it.  BUT GUESS WHAT!?!? I am currently 6 days from my first WBFF competition and couldn't be more ecstatic. This wasn't a walk in the park.  I approached this journey with blindfolded. I didn't know what 'macros' were. I hadn't ever been in GNC, and the only gym I ever attended was my school gym.  (because it was mandatory)  OH, and Lucielle Roberts, because it was strictly for females.  I still don't know how to perform a perfect squat, but give it time, I am almost there!  Hope I didn't bore you just yet. IF you got this far, please read a little further.  It's time to get to the nitty gritty as to why I believe this team is so friggin awesome!

Our first team retreat was in Jan of this year, and was eventful.  I was a little skeptical about attending.  These girls didn't know me from a hole in the wall. How can they like me?!  But I was wrong!  All the ladies shared a similar purpose. A purpose to grow, better themselves, motivate others and to encourage one another.  It was such a pleasant retreat, it actually made it much easier to stick around and witness everyone's success.  To this day, these girls are a part of my family. Not blood, but certainly by choice. To have the privilege to be a part of a team with such beautiful, talented, motivated females really just inspires me to become everything I've ever wanted to be. Having so many people believe in you, even at the lowest point when you stop believing in yourself, is enough to keep you going.

I've come to realize I am my own worst enemy.  However, I knew if I allowed fear to over take me, my journey would be ruined.  I believe fear is born of a story we tell ourselves. From this point forward, I choose to tell myself a different story.  Insisting on being fearless is a form of mind control.  I refuse to let myself become afraid.  In 6 days, I will step on stage alongside my girls and we will relinquish any negativity we may have encountered.  We will continue encouraging one another because we are the Elite Heat and that is what we believe!

Follow Clare as she makes her Fitness America Bikini debut!

Fearless...

"In all my 48 years, I have never owned a bikini. Ever until now"

Something happened to me when I hit my 40's - I woke up one day and was tired of settling for what was staring back at me in the mirror.  Like most women, I struggle daily with body image and tend to see only my flaws.   Given that, the decision to train for a fitness competition is some what difficult for me to explain, even to myself. I've always enjoyed sports in some form as a child. I began running for fitness in college, and have continued with that throughout the years, finishing a couple of marathons and a number of shorter races. But always, in the back of my mind, I wanted a certain look. Why didn't I look like I worked as hard as I felt like I was?

Pushing myself through endless cardio classes didn't seem to be getting me where I wanted to be, but I realized now the issue was in my head. I was afraid to acknowledge that I wanted to look cut, to look athletic.  It seemed shallow to me - if I was healthy, why should I be unhappy with how I looked? Especially when I had a job I loved as well, as a network producer. It seemed unseemly to be complaining about something like my abs.

As an adult, I moved on to sports where looks didn't matter. I learned to play ice hokey at 40 and play on 3 teams.  Having been afraid of team sports, fearing I would be picked last, be the weakest, etc, it's been a joy to experience what being on a team means.  I also took up triathalons four years ago despite a paralyzing fear of swimming.  For the most part, I have been able to work past my fears. All of them except the fear of how I look, and being openly judged about it.  But last year, a number of things happened that changed my outlook.

• surgery on a torn hamstring that would sideline me from most cardio activity for months
• turning 48 which meant 50 was just around the corner

A friend of mine, Kelly Kalley, did her first bikini fitness competition with WBFF in Montreal.  A fashion designer with a great sense of style, Kelly seemed fearless. I remember saying to her that I couldn't imagine putting myself out there to be judged in that way.  But her journey intrigued me more and more as it went on, and I resolved to get past my surgery and refocus my training.  If she could stay so impressively fit without a lot of  cardio, I wanted to see if I could do it as well.  But the training is only half the battle. As they say, you cannot train a bad diet, and I needed real help. That's when an article in the Wall Street Journal, by a woman who reminded me of, well me, caught my eye. Alyssa Abkowitz-Cendrowski wrote a great story about her coach Malenna Saunders, and a team named the Elite Heat describing her journey to the competititve stage. It was clear from Alyssa's story that diet was the missing link in my regime, but I needed a road map, and I didn't want to do it alone. 

When I met with Malenna and the team members I realized I didn't have to. With Malenna's help, and starting with the Advocare 24 Day Challenge, I have been able to revamp how I eat, and while it hasn't been easy. it truly was the missing link in the chain. 

The final fear to face will be standing on that stage. But I know I can face it with the help of my great coach and wonderfully supportive teammates.  Losing those fears and hangups is the best weight loss I can ever imagine.

Elite Heat Spotlight : Cary

I can truly say that I had never considered myself as an athlete. I was never part of any sports teams in school or out of school. However I did have a love for working out. At 16 years old I signed up for the gym and would go straight after school. I was a cardio bunny and you could not get me off a treadmill. I did endless amount of reps with light weights and that was about it. Then after college I had a new career and my endless cardio sessions had gone to the wayside as well as my eating habits.

I remember clearly one day I was unhappy with my reflection in the mirror and the numbers reflected on the scale. I was living an unhealthy lifestyle. That is when I had a turning point and decided to lace up my sneakers and take back my passion for running but this time outdoors. With the encouragement of my husband, I signed up for a few races. I remember the great adrenaline rush, the butterflies in my stomach, and the people at the races. The races were all fun and exhilarating. Not too long after my first half marathon I had injured my knee. I was unable to do what I had loved to do so much and I had to find new ways to work out. I started a Pilates routine, as well as weight lifting (this time heavier). All of a sudden I had started to see my body transform and the weight melt off without any cardio, but also better eating habits.

I am trying to learn so much more about health, nutrition and my own body. My informal education had started by following Casey Ho from Pop Pilates (she is a great inspiration to me) and reading Oxygen magazine as well as other health and fitness related articles.

I want to be a positive role model for my family, loved ones and the community. This new fitness venture will encourage me to become stronger physically and mentally through disciplined dieting and training. I am truly happy that I have met a group of wonderful ladies that are supportive and encouraging as we each achieve our own fitness goals and enjoy the journey.

Elite Heat Spotlight : Marina

Hi! My name is Marina Rymar and I'm on my journey to become a fitness competitor. I have never been into sports (I played piano through the school years instead) but I climbed all the fences and trees in the neighborhood and enjoyed beating all the boys in bike rides and soccer games...

After moving to the USA from Russia I found myself a little bit chubbier than I would like to see myself in the mirror. My weight loss process started with serious research about foods and diets. I succeeded. More than that - nutrition became my passion and profession. I'm on my senior year of a clinical nutrition program at a university and I love it.

To be slim was not enough for me so I went for more - gym, weights, clean eating, supplements opened up a new page of my life. Kickboxing is also a big part of my life especially since i was asked to teach classes at the place i was working out myself. It is just amazing to feel the strength of your body and be able to push through the pain and see all those changes in your own body! So one day I decided to see what competitions are about and went to a workshop and ended up finding amazing ladies with the same passions. They do not know yet how much i have learned from them ;)

I decided to do the things I love now instead of waiting for that perfect time and place which will never happen. And I noticed that other stuff we all "don't like but have to do" got better and I look at it from a different perspective. 

I'm on my journey to become a competitor. And I want to thank Elite Heat Team Ladies for giving that missing piece of the whole puzzle. Now I'm doing what I love and it's an amazing feeling. I will shine for you on that stage on April 13!

Elite Heat Spotlight : Lindsey

Growing up I was always active. I played soccer through high school and was on the competition cheer leading squad. The second that I stepped into college all of that stopped. I wasn't exactly unhealthy in the years between then and now but after an extremely rough 2012, I decided that there needed to be some changes in my life. I no longer looked in the mirror and saw myself. My body was foreign and my attitude and outlook on life had shifted to a very negative place. I wasn't happy.

Ashley McCormack called me at work one day back in November and said that the Elite Heat was open to new members. I jumped at the chance, after seeing how much she had transformed over the last year on the team. I needed to be a part of something that would hold me accountable for my bad habits. Almost five months in and I have never been happier with my body. I make smarter choices in all areas of my life and can't wait to see what else I'm capable of. I would not have been able to do any of this on my own!