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Stats on Angie...
Date of Birth: April 2, 1978
Major: B.A. in Psychology, Minor in
Music from Bloomsburg University
Current Occupation: Corporate Fitness Program Manager, Personal Trainer
Residence:
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Years Training: 10
Years of Aerobic Instruction: 8
Years Personal Training:
7
Favorite Body Parts to Train: Back, Legs
Strongest Body Part: Back
Favorite Healthy Meals:
Egg whites with Tobasco
&
natural peanut butter on rice cakes
Favorite Cheat Meals: Thin crust pizza and anything chocolate!
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My fitness journey has been a long one...
Growing up in Quakertown,
PA, I was not very athletic as a child. I was skinny, awkward and shy. I tried ballet, gymnastics and basketball,
but I did not possess the aggressive drive it took to succeed in those activities at a young age. My first introduction
to the weight room wasn't until my freshman year in college. I would go to the university Rec Center with my girlfriends
to experiment on the weight equipment and take aerobics classes. I honestly had no idea what I was doing.
It wasn't until my sophomore year that a friend introduced me to weight training. I was so intrigued, I wanted to
know more about it. He took the time to explain why he had me performing certain exercises and what exercises worked
what muscles. I couldn't get enough! I started reading about weight training, taking elective classes in Exercise
Science, and Oxygen became my must-have magazine.
In 1998, I attended my first bodybuilding
show- The Arnold Classic! This opened up a whole new world for me. Plus, I got to meet my idol, Arnold Schwarzenegger!
That experience really lit a fire in me and I started training even harder. I was in awe of the fitness competitors
and I realized how hard they must be working to look as fit as they did. I thought it would be incredible to train for
a show like that, but I lacked the gymnastics background that was obviously necessary to compete.
During
the summer before my junior year, I signed up for kickboxing classes at a karate studio local to the college. I was
immediately hooked! I apparently showed so much interest that my sensai asked if I was interested in teaching.
The shy, awkward girl inside me was horrified of the idea, but the suppressed fitness instructor side was dying to be let
loose. For 6 months I trained 6 days per week at the karate studio before my sensai would test and certify me.
The following summer I was hired on at a Philadelphia Sports Club, my first commercial fitness
job! After graduation, that job was a catalyst for me to become involved in corporate fitness.
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I continued to attend bodybuilding shows, and
in 2001, I read in an Oxygen magazine that a new Figure category was being created. This was a chance for women to compete
and show off their fit physiques without having to do a routine. This was for me!
Though at this point I
didn't know how to train for a figure show, I did know I had to work out hard. I hadn't quite gotten the hang
of the nutrition part, however, I would later figure out that nutrition is really the key. In 2004, I finally made the
huge decision to step on stage. I trained and dieted for 16 weeks and competed in my first natural figure show.
It was definitely the hardest thing I have ever done, and I couldn't be prouder of myself for doing it. Though
I've taken time off from competition, I plan on getting on that stage again this year!
I feel very
blessed that I have found a career that I love. It is extremely rewarding for me to help others obtain
their fitness goals, and, further, to assist other athletes reach their dreams of stepping on that competition stage
and share my feeling of accomplishment! My hopes are to be able to help many more!
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