As we all work towards a healthier 2011, it’s easy to get discouraged when you’re sore and not seeing results right away. But when I have those moments, I look for fitness inspiration. And most recently, I’ve found it in a young woman from Colorado Springs who has taken her fitness to a totally new level, as she prepared for the Miss America pageant!
You might remember her. Melaina Shipwash, this year’s Miss Colorado, was featured in the Fit Club blog a couple of months ago. She talked about the rigorous fitness schedule she was undergoing to prepare for the pageant, specifically the Lifestyle/Fitness category… otherwise known as the swimsuit competition.
Let’s face it. I don’t care how much confidence you have. Getting up in front of thousands of people (and potentially the entire nation) in your swimsuit can’t be easy. But Melaina prepared herself by sticking with her workouts and eating a balanced diet.
I talked with her personal trainer, Jerod Langness with 24-hour Fitness, about the training program he designed to get Melaina in top physical condition. Read what he had to say after the pic of Melaina in Miss America rehearsals:
“In order to get Melaina to her peak fitness level by Miss America, I needed to know about what her challenges were. She obviously wanted to get in great shape, but was also facing an incredible workload as Miss Colorado. She had appearances, interviews, talent preparation, and many other things to juggle. This was important to know as her trainer to make sure she had proper calories to still have the energy for her incredible schedule and our workouts. I created a program to maintain her lean body mass, and lose a little body fat while still maintaining energy.”
But a fantastic training program isn’t all it takes. You also have to have drive and focus to get to the gym and put that training program to good use. Jerod says Melaina had it.
“The thing that we can all take from this is that the science doesn’t change. Whether you are getting ready for Miss America, training for the NFL, or trying to get back to your college weight, it comes down to proper nutrition, and training. The variables may be different, but the concept of calories in versus calories out remains. It is not easy, but hard work pays off. Not just working out hard, but being smart about the other 23 hours of your day. This is where Melaina was outstanding! She was diligent with food logging, supplementation, cardio, rest (when possible), and of course, workouts. She was full of great questions which made it easy to know how to best take care of her. She definitely was one of the most focused and driven clients I have ever had.She followed her program to the letter. She had amazing results!”
And the time for Melaina’s hard-work to shine has arrived! She is in Las Vegas right now for the preliminary competitions that lead up to the final night of Miss America, which is shown LIVE on TV. One of those preliminaries is the swimsuit competition. And all her time in the gym will have paid off when she walks out on that stage, confident in her fitness and strength. What’s more inspirational than that?
Don’t forget to look for Melaina this Saturday, January 15th LIVE on ABC, as she competes for the crown.
