Tanya's Story

The world's tallest waterfall is at Victoria Falls in Africa, taller
than a 30-story building. A bridge at the same location has the
world's tallest bungee jump. In January 2004, I felt like I had
taken a sudden dive from that bridge without the bungee cord.

Prior to that very wintry moment, I thought I had life firmly
in hand. I was 31, had a job that paid well, a boyfriend whom I loved, a plan to move to a new city with him and change careers, and good sense of direction in my life. I didn't have the body of my dreams, but everyone had called me attractive and pretty, so I was pretty darn happy. Then life delivered a curve ball, duct-taped to a monkey wrench, followed by a swift kick in the nether region.

Suddenly, without warning, not so much as a clue, my boyfriend called it off. Everything. It's done, over, goodbye.

The result of this special delivery from reality-check central was a downward spiral where I suddenly had NO boyfriend, NO future plans, NO sense of control, and NO idea what the hell just happened to me. I cried. I cocooned. I ate. And I cried some more.

Thankfully, my friends and family kept me sane through the worst of it. And when I finally picked my head up and looked around, I realized that I was still alive, and still had the most important things in life ­ my friends, my family, my health, and my self-respect. The bungee cord was wrapped around my ankles after all, just a little tangled up!

By that time, I also had 20 lbs. of extra weight.While there are forces that will take each of our lives spinning out of control on occasion, there are things that I have continual dominion over: my attitude, my lifestyle, my weight, and my fitness. And so I turned to these things for a new beginning ­ and to put my life back together. Fate entered the picture while I was still reeling from my date with the monkey wrench. I saw an article in Oxygen Fitness Magazine. The "Look like a Star Contest!" it proclaimed. 'Do you think you could look like a celebrity if you had their trainer and their nutritionist?' Well heck yeah, I said to myself. Anybody could! 'Write us a letter telling us why you would be a good candidate for this contest, and you could win your way into having your own Celebrity trainer and nutritionist, be featured in Oxygen Magazine, and even win an all-expense paid trip for two to L.A.!'

'Well why not?' I thought. I certainly don't have anything to lose. So for once, I put my English Major to good use and wrote them a letter, painting myself as the 'Sweat in the City, workout Everywoman. Oh my yes.' I dropped the letter in the mail thinking my odds were about the same as winning the lottery.

Well, imagine my surprise when a month later I received a call from Oxygen Magazine, telling me that I was one of the three women selected to compete in their contest. I leaped up in my little gray work cubicle and whooped for joy! Something was finally going right! I soon had my first workout session and my first nutrition consultation. I quickly found out that this wasn't going to be easy. Sacrifices had to be made. Schedules had to be rearranged. Priorities had to be shifted. But I wanted this. I wanted this BAD. So I made it happen.

The magazine contest was for three months ­ from March 15 to June 15. There were monthly weigh-ins, measurements, photos, and more essay questions than freshman English class. When it was over, there was an agonizing wait until mid-summer to find out who won. And in the meantime, other good things had started to happen in my life.

Shortly after starting the program, I met a guy named Mark in a Spinning class at the gym, which was part of my new weekly workout schedule. We chatted and sweated together through several classes, and eventually grabbed dinner together one night. We began dating, and Mark told me he was getting ready to start a summer program that would train him for a triathlon. He suggested that I might like to train too, for added motivation and great cardio to boot. I considered it, with some uncertainty. A triathlon? I had done one 6 years earlier, but that was in my twenties, and twenty pounds ago. Could I really do it?

The answer was yes, I could and I did. When the magazine program wrapped up in June, I was 15 lbs. lighter, 14 inches smaller, and ready for anything. I also had Mark at my side.

I trained all summer with Mark and the triathlon class and completed not just one, but TWO triathlons that summer. I even finished 6th in my age group in one of them! And as my thighs, waist, and resting heart rate shrank, my confidence and energy soared!

Suddenly things that had once only seemed like a fun daydream were right there, fully possible, and within my reach! I had often thought about a career in fitness, had even dabbled in it by taking a certification prep course the previous year. But deep down, I didn't believe I could do it. After all, if I couldn't earn myself the body that I wanted, how could I help others do the same? The answer is I couldn't have previously ­ at least in any honest way. But NOWŠ now I COULD! I could and I WOULD! I had been where most folks are, and gotten to where most folks want to be. And I could use my experience to help others do the same.

And that, dear reader, is what brings me here today. I won that magazine contest. I graced the pages of Oxygen Magazine in a bikini. I was featured in the local newspaper and a local radio show. And I went on that prize trip to LA. I met my amazing fitness idol, Monica Brant, and trained with the fabulously talented celebrity trainer/nutritionists, Nancy Kennedy and Bobby Strom. I earned my Personal Trainer and my Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant certifications. And I saw firsthand what a little push, some outside motivation, and some professional training can do for a body, and for a life.

I now know without a doubt that I can have everything my heart desires, including but not limited to the body of my very best dreams. And I know that I can use my own experience to help other people achieve their fitness and weight loss goals, with a sane and healthy approach that yields permanent results. Inside of YOU are the strength, willpower, and self-respect that can propel you with lightning speed straight toward your ideal you! I want to help you find it!