Ladies of the FitGems Nation...Introduce Yourselves!

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Permalink Reply by Kim Robinson on April 17, 2009 at 12:29pm

Hi, I'm Kim a newbie to the site. I am a semi-retired police officer and mother of ofur children. I have 2-year old twin boys and a one year girl (three in diapers!!). Fitness and health is something that has always been important to me but I certainly struggled inmy pregnancies with weight gain. Now that I am done having babies, I am at my prepregnancy weight and wanting more. I am thinking of entering my first figure competition this fall now that I got the go-ahead from peers that I am a-ok to start contest prep. I'm not quite sure where to go from here, but I will find out soon enough. I found out about this site from Lilmama on the MD forums and I want to find out about nominating a friend of mine who is getting ready for her first comp in May, her name is Sandy and she is a fantastic mother of two children. Thanks for having me y'all!!

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Permalink Reply by C-Ray on April 18, 2009 at 8:43pm

Glad to have you here, Kim. Everyone here at FitGems Nation will do their best to help you out in your quest to compete.

I'm not expert, but I'll help out however I can.

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Permalink Reply by Cathleen Kronemer on May 9, 2009 at 4:37pm

Greetings!
I'm Cathleen from St. Louis, and have just joined the site! Please stop by my page and introduce yourself! Thanks!

I am a personal trainer, group exercise instructor (for over 20 years), freelance fitness writer, and a microbiologist (although out of the lab right now). I am the mother of 2 amazing girls, 15 and 22. I got into bodybuilding as a recovery tool from anorexia (you can read my story on bodybuilding.com's transformation of the week). Each day is a challenge, but worth it. I have been competing since 2005 and have been blessed with many trophies, some of them even First Place!!! I got started in competition late in life; my first show was a month after turning 44! It's an amazing endeavor, and I love pushing myself and reaching new heights that I'd never dreamed were possible.
My competitions this season are a week apart (yikes!!!!), but I have outstanding trainers working with me. We also just renovated our gym....95,000 square feet of fitness fun!!! There are lots of new machines to allow me to intensify my training.

Have a great weekend, everyone!!!

~C

:-)

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Permalink Reply by Ashley Arnwine on November 30, 2009 at 3:34pm

Hey Everyone Im Ashley from Baltimore. I've never competed before so 2010 will be my first year. I plan on competing in bikini and fitness. i did cheerleading, ballet and jazz so Im excited to choreograph my own routine and showcase it. I've lost about 30 pounds from my heaviest and Im really happy I've found this industry because its definitely made me enjoy fitness and eating right more than I used to. :)

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Permalink Reply by Cathleen Kronemer on November 30, 2009 at 3:42pm

Welcome Ashley!
It's fun when you're new to competing. I've been at it since 2005 and STILL love it!!!! What a fabulous weight loss you have made! Good for you!!!
If you ned any help this is the best place to be!

Take care,
Cathleen

Ashley Arnwine said:

Hey Everyone Im Ashley from Baltimore. I've never competed before so 2010 will be my first year. I plan on competing in bikini and fitness. i did cheerleading, ballet and jazz so Im excited to choreograph my own routine and showcase it. I've lost about 30 pounds from my heaviest and Im really happy I've found this industry because its definitely made me enjoy fitness and eating right more than I used to. :)

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Permalink Reply by Cathleen Kronemer on November 30, 2009 at 3:44pm

Welcome, Kim!
Wow, a police officer! On behalf of all of us who live in safe cities, I thank you for your efforts!!! :-)

So, a Figure competition? Best of luck to you! Thsi place is really a terrific resource!

~Cathleen

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Permalink Reply by Gretchen Malik on November 30, 2009 at 8:13pm

Hello. I'm gretchen (aka pastrygirl). I am a single mom of five. I wear many hats...fitness instructor, personal trainer, and part-time pastry chef. I began my introduction to the fitness world many years ago, but circumstances did not work for me and I had to stop. Now that things in my life have changed, I'm back and love each and every minute of it. I am getting ready for next year. After competing for the first time this past July, I'm hooked. I hope to do at least four shows beginnng in March. I would love to add another accomplishment to my "Things to do before I turn 50!" List. If you would like to learn more about me, please visit my website - www.gretchenmalik.com I would love to hear from you!

shameless plug - please vote for me on www.worldphysique.com. Visit the contest link beginning December 2. Thanks!

Thanks for letting me introduce myself :)

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Permalink Reply by Cathleen Kronemer on December 1, 2009 at 5:48am

Welcome Gretchen!!!
I'm glad you are back doing what your eally love -- fitness!
Yep, that first competition hooked me in, too! Best of luck to you!!!

~Cathleen :-)

Gretchen Malik said:

Hello. I'm gretchen (aka pastrygirl). I am a single mom of five. I wear many hats...fitness instructor, personal trainer, and part-time pastry chef. I began my introduction to the fitness world many years ago, but circumstances did not work for me and I had to stop. Now that things in my life have changed, I'm back and love each and every minute of it. I am getting ready for next year. After competing for the first time this past July, I'm hooked. I hope to do at least four shows beginnng in March. I would love to add another accomplishment to my "Things to do before I turn 50!" List. If you would like to learn more about me, please visit my website - www.gretchenmalik.com I would love to hear from you!

shameless plug - please vote for me on www.worldphysique.com. Visit the contest link beginning December 2. Thanks!

Thanks for letting me introduce myself :)

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Permalink Reply by Janelle Gallo on June 22, 2010 at 2:26pm

Hey everyone! I am a personal trainer/nutritionist. I have been competing in women's bodybuilding since 2001 with the hopes of becoming pro one day. I love helping others with their fitness goals as well as love training hard and eating healthy for myself. Glad to be part of this community.

Cathleen Kronemer said:

Welcome Gretchen!!!
I'm glad you are back doing what your eally love -- fitness!
Yep, that first competition hooked me in, too! Best of luck to you!!!

~Cathleen :-)

Gretchen Malik said:

Hello. I'm gretchen (aka pastrygirl). I am a single mom of five. I wear many hats...fitness instructor, personal trainer, and part-time pastry chef. I began my introduction to the fitness world many years ago, but circumstances did not work for me and I had to stop. Now that things in my life have changed, I'm back and love each and every minute of it. I am getting ready for next year. After competing for the first time this past July, I'm hooked. I hope to do at least four shows beginnng in March. I would love to add another accomplishment to my "Things to do before I turn 50!" List. If you would like to learn more about me, please visit my website - www.gretchenmalik.com I would love to hear from you!

shameless plug - please vote for me on www.worldphysique.com. Visit the contest link beginning December 2. Thanks!

Thanks for letting me introduce myself :)

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Permalink Reply by C-Ray on June 22, 2010 at 3:12pm

Thank you to all of you for introducing yourselves to the members of this site! If you have any questions, feel free to post them as you see fit. :)

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