interview

Fit Gal Feature: Ashley Nordman “Passion2befit”

This post hits close to home. Ashley is one of the most motivational and inspiring women who I follow and met through Instagram. Who would have thought that social media would have such a big impact on my life! Ashley’s daily posts are one of the most influential things that pushed me to dig deeper into fitness and really find my passion. After a few emails back and forth, starting with questions I had for her about Cellucor (she is an affiliate), then leading to her giving me a complete meal plan, I could not be more grateful to know her. Not only beautiful on the outside, Ashley is so passionate about what she does and truly finds motivation in helping others with their goals. With that said, I had to get her on the blog for an interview, hoping she can have as much of an impact on you as she has me. So here she is: Fit Gal Ashley Nordman.

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1. Tell us a little about yourself and your fitness lifestyle.

My name is Ashley Nordman and I am a 21 year old women’s figure competitor. I was born and raised in a small town in Illinois, where I grew up in the country. I was constantly outside playing games, rollerblading, riding bikes, and playing sports. When I reached high school, I fell in love with running. I was the caption of our Cross Country team, and I always played an important role on the Track team as well. When college came around, I was burned out from 4 years of running, and I was also extremely lean. I was uncomfortable with my tiny physique, so I started researching some new types of exercise. I looked on Bodybuilding.com, fell in love with Jamie Eason’s body, and told myself that I was going to do whatever it took to look like her! I started weightlifting and focusing more on my nutrition, and I quickly fell in love. The weights were a new challenge for me, and they helped me put on some much-needed muscle! Throughout college, I grew even more passionate about this new lifestyle, and I was a huge advocate for healthy living. I joined a private gym during the summer of my Sophomore year of college, and this is where I fell into the sport of bodybuilding. I met a personal trainer who was a professional bodybuilder, and he recommended that I pursue it. I loved the idea of a new challenge, so I started working with him right away. In just 12 weeks, I prepped for my first competition, the OCB Midwest States in November of 2012, where I won 1st place and Overall in Women’s Figure Novice! From then on, I knew that bodybuilding was my new sport. Since then, I have competed just one more time, in the NPC USA Coastal in August of 2013, where I prepped by myself and won 1st place and Overall in Women’s Figure Open, which qualified me for Nationals! This year, I plan to compete in Nationals, as well as two other competitions, and I also plan to do my own prep. Along this journey, where my lifestyle involves eating healthy, weight training, and finding inner happiness, I am focusing on being as selfless as possible and to help others reach their health and wellness goals!

2. What are your goals and how are you working towards them?

My current goals are to compete in Nationals this year with the best physique I’ve ever had, to inspire others to work towards their own fitness goals, and to become an IFBB Pro. Each and every day I work towards these goals by being disciplined, putting others before myself, having patience, working as hard as I can, and staying positive!

3. What is your biggest accomplishment so far?

My biggest accomplishment is that I have been able to inspire women to change their lives for the better, and all through social media! I mainly use Instagram and I absolutely love each and every one of my followers!

4. What do your eating habits consist of? Walk us through your average day.

I eat ALL the time! I eat every three hours, and I eat 99% whole foods! Typically, I wake up, eat some egg whites and cream of wheat with a little fruit, and drink a small cup of coffee. A few hours later, I will have egg whites or a protein shake with a serving of almonds and vegetables. For lunch, I typically eat 4 oz grilled chicken with spinach and vegetables, and I also have a sweet potato with cinnamon on top! My afternoon snack is always a Cellucor protein shake (protein, ice, almond milk, and a banana!), and my dinner is usually 4oz ground turkey with oats or brown rice, and more vegetables! Before bed, I often have plain greek yogurt with almond butter.

5. What’s your favorite form of exercise?

My favorite form of exercise is weightlifting! I LOVE lifting heavy weights and really pushing myself out of my comfort zone!

6. What motivates you?

My Instagram followers motivate me, my next competition motivates me, and my friends and family motivate me as well.

7. What piece of advice can you give others who are looking to get fit?

I have two important pieces of advice. The first is to learn and research as much as you can when it comes to healthy eating, working out, and the lifestyle changes that are involved. Read blogs, see what fitness icons do to reach their goals, read forums on Bodybuilding.com, or even ask a friend or personal trainer in the area. Secondly, be patient and persistent! NEVER give up on your goals, and realize that the changes you want are going to take some time. We live in a society where we want things to happen now! But with fitness, that’s not the way it works. We must work for what we want, and we must be patient and let our body slowly get into the shape we want. 🙂

Ashley, thank you so much for all your help and constant support! I seriously can’t thank you enough. 

You can find Ashley on Instagram: Passion2befit

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Women Who Run San Francisco Interview

I recently had the honor to interview and be featured over at Women Who Run an Francisco.

Jessica Schimm, a journalist here in San Francisco, ‘started this blog about a year and a half ago on Tumblr and created the foundation to what she hopes will become the number one resource for fun, intelligent, highly driven, working women, who are “running” the city of San Francisco.’ Jessica comments that “the core of this blog is to write profiles on women who have shown strength or confidence in one way or another,  prevailed/endured hardship, started a new endeavor or who have an incredible talent.  I am ultimately looking to highlight women who are working hard to make a positive difference in their communities or are taking charge of their own future.”

I am so honored and grateful of this feature as I can only hope that this will encourage more women to take charge of your future with confidence, follow your passions and believe in yourself a little more.

To read my interview: www.womenwhorunsf.com

(photo by Jessica Schimm)

Thanks for reading!!

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Fit Gal: Tiffany!

 Tiffany and I frequently see each other at the gym and she is such an inspiration that I had to get her on the blog! She just got Zumba certified and is working to become a personal trainer! Ah, I love this girl! Here she is….

1. Tell us about yourself and your “fitness lifestyle and journey”

I grew up in San Diego which is a very fit and active city.  I tried many sports in elementary & middle school but running was always my favorite.  In high school I ran track, Cross Country and played Soccer for the school and a competitive Soccer team.  I went on to play College Soccer for Sonoma State University.  After I graduated college I continued to play soccer for Club Soccer teams and started to compete in half marathons.  I currently play for the SF nighthawks (a women’s Soccer team in the city) and I am hoping to sign up for a couple of new races starting in the New Year.  Staying fit is very important to me and I always make time to incorporate some fitness into my schedule.

2. What are your goals and how are you working for them?

I have a lot of fitness goals that I am hoping to accomplish by this year.  I just signed up for my first full marathon in March so I am hoping to get less than 4 hours for my time.  Physically, I would like to be a little bit leaner and not have so much mass.  I have always had a really athletic build because I felt I needed it for soccer.  I feel like I could be just as strong without having so much mass.   I am going to start taking Pilate’s classes and I am trying to be more disciplined with my eating regimen. My ultimate goal is to become a Personal Trainer by the end of 2013.

3. Do you “eat clean”?

I am lucky that I grew up in a home with a very health conscious family.  I grew up always eating fresh fruit and vegetables and we were not big “meat eaters.” About 7 years ago I decided to become a vegetarian and I have noticed a big change since that time.  I try not to eat any junk food and very careful of what I am putting into my body.  I don’t drink soda and rarely eat fast food.  I make sure to take certain vitamins to make up for the lack of dairy & protein in my diet.  I feel better when I eat healthy and I definitely see the difference.

4. In what ways do you stay active? 

I like to work out 6 days a week and rest on the 7th day.  I adapted this workout schedule from soccer practice schedule in College and it just works for me. I just got my Zumba certification and I am very excited to begin teaching some classes.  I try to switch up my workouts a lot so that I don’t get bored.  I alternate between running outside, yoga, classes at the gym and soccer practice/games.  When I am at the gym I usually do 45 minutes of cardio and 15 minutes of weights.  I can honestly say that I LOVE to work out and always make it a priority.

5. What inspires you to live this lifestyle? 

I love to live this lifestyle because it makes me happy.  After I get done with a workout my skin has a healthy glow and I just feel so much better!

Thank you so much for sharing your story Tiffany! I am positive you will inspire many by your active lifestyle. Good luck with your marathon, teaching, coaching and all of your goals! See ya at the gym. =)

If you are interested to be a Fit Gal along with Tiffany, feel free to contact me! I would love to have you.

xo,Jenna

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