Lucy

This photo represents the time I intrinsically accepted my body, but felt insecure about the physique I possessed as a personal trainer. A part of me always wanted to compete anyway, so I spent some time contemplating on whether I should compete, and eventually decided that I would. Although I was confident in my own skin for the first time in my life, the demon in me would whisper, "no one thinks you're worthy of being a personal trainer with that physique. A part of me always wanted to compete anyway, so I spent some time contemplating on whether I should compete, and eventually decided that I would.

After spending two weeks contemplating on whether to participate, I figured that I had twelve weeks to prep for the bikini division and began my coachless journey to the stage. Despite generally being happy with my body, I thought that people would judge me as a personal trainer because I neither looked like a fitness model nor competed in any sport. After stepping on stage and scoring sixth out of six women, I took home with me a pity medal and many lessons about not only the human physiology (as I had initially intended), but also about myself. Despite growing up with myriads of health problems, this event was the final catalyst that drove me to advocate healthful living practices.