Progress over the years

The last three years have brought many changes to my life. Physically as well as emotionally. From an emotionally struggling high school student, who had never stepped foot in a gym, to a nationally recognised sponsored athlete. My aspirations included visual communications and design, business, literature. Health and fitness played no role in what I had planned for my future. Being Italian with a South African mother I was constantly surrounded by food. Home made pastas, rich and spicy curries. I would come home from school and demolish an entire loaf of bread with plenty of room for dinner and dessert.
We all have a starting point, we all experience an event in our lives, a trauma, which encourages us to make a change, whether it be for the better or the worse. It's these experiences that teach us our true strengths. We will make mistakes, and then make more mistakes, but each time we do, we learn a little more about ourselves. Why I made the change to fitness will be documented in a three part series for Fit Treasures magazine, part one being released this August. In the meantime, I thought I would SHOW you where I started. From my very first year training, to my first nationally publication and photo shoot. As embarrassing as my very first gym shots are....here goes !!

Before I started training, I gained recognition as an Ironman Wet n'Wild calendar model in 2007 

 Years of tennis in my youth had created a naturally toned and athletic look

From here I went on to have my very first two page spread in Australian Ironman magazine and after a year of training noticeable changes had been made to my physique

                                                                      I had no experience posing

And was very new and inexperienced to the fitness industry 

By this stage I knew I was meant to be involved in the fitness industry somehow, and after my first show went back to the drawing board to tweak my training and diet regime to better my physique

Photo compliments to Srdjan Nikolic

Photo compliments to Tony Ryan

Photo compliments to Srdjan Nikolic

Photo compliments to BigShotDan

Photo compliments to Srdjan Nikolic

Photo compliments to BigShotDan

Photo compliments to BigShotDan

Photo compliments to Tony Ryan

With all the negative stigma surrounding female bodybuilders, I wanted to show that we can still be strong, muscular, yet beautiful and feminine. So in 2010 this shoot was done for my feature in Oxygen magazine

 Photo compliments to Srdjan Nikolic

A year on, I followed with this shoot June 2011

Again I still wanted to show a feminine, and softer side to female bodybuilding and tried to accomplish that in that car shoot as well as the outrageously bright shot you see above. I enjoy bringing something different and unique to each of my shoots and have a great team working with me to achieve this. Photo credits for my June 2011 shoot go to Srdjan Nikolic and a very big thank you to Napoleon Perdis for your wonderful team of make up artists. 

This is where I have come from my very first year of training. I have sacrificed a lot in that time, food, going out, but i have never been happier with my progress, especially when I can look back at my photographs taken in my very first year of training at Nitro Gym. Never lose sight of your goals and remain positive. Persistence is key. Believe me, if I can make the changes I had with my life, I believe anyone has the strength to do so xxx

Finally some training shots...

A few pics from my recent shoot at Nitro Gym..