Body Transformation: Fire Of The 40s!

AGE 39 HEIGHT 5'4" WEIGHT 160 lbs BODY FAT 29%	AGE 42 HEIGHT 5'4" WEIGHT 118 lbs BODY FAT 17%

After I gave birth to my last child, there was a fire inside me to get back in shape. I referred to it as the "Fire of the 40s" because I had 40 post-baby pounds to lose, was about to turn 40 years old, and had four children. I wanted to be a happy and healthy mom. It was time to raise the bar.

I wanted to look lean and strong. To achieve the strong part, I started weight training. I educated myself on various training methods for different muscle groups and put an emphasis on the gym. Cardio was a very important factor in my transformation, but weights changed the look of my body most.

To achieve the leanness I desired, I focused on eating clean. I can't say it enough: healthy foods give the body energy to work out at a high level, build muscle, recover, and look lean. There will always be days that you won't want to hit the gym, but those days are the most important to go. There are days when the children stay home sick or I'm simply committed to their needs, so I make sure to eat extra clean on those days if I can't make it to the gym.

Never question your goals. One of my favorite quotes that always ran through my head is: "If you want me to do something … tell me I can't do it." - Maya Angelou

When one child gets sick, there's a trickledown effect and the entire family comes down with it. There could be an entire week that I'm home and not working out. I'm at a stage in life where children wake me up in the middle of the night because there's a monster in their closet.

In those cases, I have a hard time sleeping the remainder of the night with them in my bed. Disrupted sleep hampers my energy level at the gym.

I share my transformation with everyone and explain how good it feels to eat clean food. The long winters in Chicago, Illinois, and countless days with no sun makes you depressed, tired, and sluggish. I'm amazed at how much energy clean eating gives me.

That's why I'm interested to become a nutritionist when my children are in school and I can focus. I want people to feel energized and healthy too.

The amount of information available on Bodybuilding.com helped me reach my goals. The transformation stories are inspiring and the trainers know what they're talking about. If you aren't savvy about supplements, you can learn on Bodybuilding.com.

I pull up training moves for different muscle groups and snap a photo from my computer onto my iPhone so I can use it at the gym. Thank you, Bodybuilding.com, for inspiring and educating me along my journey so I can be one of your transformation stories.

Photo Credit:
Don Bersano