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November 30th, another birthday celebration held out of the country. Last year I celebrated my 40th birthday on the beaches of Mexico, and this year I'm in India where I've been teaching Bikram yoga to the Bollywood crowd since February. I started my day the way any fitness model would, answering e-mails from magazine editors, getting release forms from photographers, sending off training and diet protocols to clients, and researching some new exercises that I want to put into my next program. I have an important photoshoot coming up early in the New Year, so I will have to change my program from "building" to conditioning in order to be ready. I have about 8 weeks between now and the shoot, so I'll continue maintaining for two more weeks, and then start carb-cycling and increasing my total reps every workout.

I remember the day I decided to enter my first competition – it was two months before 2011 Fall interactive SAF Spectacular. I sat in front of my computer for half an hour without blinking, wondering if I should do it. I clicked submit, and before I knew it I started to get very excited. I remember thinking to myself: Is this enough time to get ready? Where do I begin? What have I done?

It was a beautiful way to get even more motivation at the gym and I gave it my all. I never missed a workout or meal, went to bed early every day. When all my friends were out, I stayed in or was at the gym. When friends and family would offer me treats, they would say, “just one won’t hurt,” but my determination and willpower were strong. I would simply say no and I wouldn’t complain about it. The more time went by the better I felt. Every day I woke up energized and ready to take on my day. My workouts were amazing, pushing more and more weight. My body was sculpting into the masterpiece I set out to create. It is the best feeling in the world. I am the artist and I have the control to create my own masterpiece on my own canvas (my body). This is a feeling I will never give up.

The final SAF show of the season is happening in Gatineau in just 4 more days, and I've been checking out my friends' pages on Facebook (those that are competing), in anticipation. Though I had really hoped to be up on the stage myself, duty in India called, but it's still a lot of fun cheering on from the sidelines.

This year the Fall Spectacular promises to be the best line-up of Elite women yet! I'm sure the Open-division girls will be just as incredible as they were in the Summer show. I know everyone is working hard to bring their best package before the judges and audience Saturday morning, and I'm sure the hair, the make-up, the swimsuits and themewears, everything is going to a wonderful show. I hope they are putting together a video compilation for the competitors and their family to buy, because for me last year's video was not only a great piece of memorabilia, but I learned so much from that video. I saw what needed to be improved in my stage presence quite clearly, and I was inspired by top girls like Vanda Hadarean who really know how to "own" a stage.

One of the things that I really love about SAF is that it succeeds in creating an environment for the girls to truly relax and have fun competing together. Because the shows are so well organized, and kept under 5 hours from start-to-finish, you stay fresh and excited through the whole experience, and are more able to connect backstage. You also get quite a bit of actual time onstage to show your stuff,  more time than at most longer shows, really (and I've competed with so many other federations now that I can tell you this is a real plus). We even get to pick out our own stage music!). And then of course, you have all that time to really hang out together at the various TV interviews and photoshoots that Doug invariably lines up for the SAF winners.

As some of you know, I am a fitness trainer and owner of Fitness Brockville – a local fitness company in Brockville that caters to women. I go by the small title of fitness trainer, but, in reality, I am also a psychiatrist, person to vent to, and, some days, a shoulder to cry on. On any given day, I can open my computer to 50-60 e-mails from clients, questions anywhere from “Can I eat this?” to things that go into much more detail that I usually answer while eating or in between clients, as it’s the only time I have.

On any given day, I receive approximately 20-30 text messages along the same lines, right into the wee hours of the morning (usually clients at 3am wanting to binge eat). Often, I am constantly doing “coaching” things, such as answering e-mails, training clients, writing programs, and answering text messages from any one of the 75 clients I average. I feel like I am always working.

Now, don't get me wrong, this is NOT a rant about my career, because I LOVE helping others. I am merely trying to help others understand what a day in my life is. Now, the coach in me says take care of all your clients, work right up until your show. And take care of your clients, they can't miss a workout. I am a very bubbly, outgoing person, but there is another side to me. There is a girl, who is competitive, who is constantly thinking “your competition is working twice as hard as you right now to beat you, what the hell are you going to do to beat her, to make sure she doesn't stand a chance?”