Ms. Bikini Mexico Norma Guadalupe Preciado Cruz harnessed one of the more elaborate headdress at the show last season. The 23 year old account clerk says she and her mother designed and made the costume. “I think it really enhanced my personality on stage,” Norma explains. She trains every day during the traditional 2-hour afternoon supper break and watches her diet all year. Norma says she wants to compete at Ms. Bikini Universe in Florida in June.

“KOWABUNGA!” Do you remember the joy of waking up for Saturday morning cartoons?

When we look back there were some great shows featuring powerful and fit forces of nature. Comics like Popeye, Mighty Mouse, Superman, The Adventures of Mr. T, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We also had strong and beautiful female characters that captivated us with their presence. Women like Jem, Betty & Veronica, Wonder Woman, Starbright, Jessica Rabbit and Betty Boop.

Funny how we had the influence of fitness, confidence and personality right in our face since the very beginning. Isn’t it great that we can still love and pay homage to our favorite cartoon characters without feeling silly about it.

What was your favorite Saturday morning cartoon as a kid?

The former track & field and basketball athlete Kandis Arzu-Thompson, is originally from Queens, New York. Kandis is 30 years old, 5’4″, 127lbs and has lived in the metropolitan DC area since her time after college.

“I was raised in Virginia as both my parents were in the Navy. I am a single mom of a beautiful and intelligent five year old girl. I work as a certified personal trainer and nutritional consultant, and I pride myself on helping my clients break down weight loss barriers and regaining their zest for life.

I made my fitness debut last year at Foxwoods Fitness New England and have competed in both bikini and figure as well. I have taken a long time to develop my physique and conditioning and am looking forward to competing in fitness for the second time at Fitness New England this coming May with a revamped routine – sure to be a crowd pleaser!

With my experience as a track and field and basketball athlete, plyometrics and high-intensity interval training are always a part of my workout regimen. I can squat 330lbs and perform a box jump onto a 3 foot platform. I pride myself on pushing my limits and inspiring my daughter to be active and healthy as well. I believe anything is possible with the right mindset, and the only person who’s going to stop me from achieving my dreams is me.”

Nydia Salinas is a 33 year old working, full-time single mother of three kids from San Antonio, TX. She is also a care provider to her mother battling cancer and her brother who lives with Autism.

“I work in a law firm as a paralegal and provide fitness and nutrition training to my boot campers. I am a trained certified Nutritionist and Personal Fitness Trainer. I competed in 2013 in my first Fitness America competition and this year I will be competing in both the bikini and figure divisions This year I want to return and take 1st place and win my pro card status. Winning this would be a huge breakthrough for me and my family. My Love is fitness and weight training.”

Nydia has a passion for helping the homeless and orphans. She too was a bit of an orphan at an early age. Nydia was raised by her grandparents after the death of her father. “I can relate to feeling like an outcast and discarded and this is why my passion is with those that face these emotions daily. The name of my charity for the homeless and orphans is called ‘Love Beyond Measure’.

This year we hope to impact the orphans with much needed love and support through our outreach initiatives. My future plans are to compete in Paris with the Fitness Universe Tour this October and would love to be able to deliver a trophy to an orphanage in Africa. This would display dedication, faith and hope to the children. Just because you are an orphan doesn’t mean that you can’t be successful and u can’t fulfill God’s purpose in your life.”

Our very own ’10 Ms. Bikini & Figure America Champion Lori Harder has been busy creating a “blissful” movement.

Lori Harder created her own women’s retreat called The Bliss Project, a weekend packed full of powerful messages, sweat sessions, sisterhood and empowerment. The events first night kicked off with a fun VIP Wine Reception. There was mingling with wine, sparkling water and healthy appetizers. Each speaker was introduced by Lori Harder and given flowers and the speakers continued to connect with the guests throughout the night. It was a gorgeous evening on the terrace with bonfires, heaters and plenty of chatter to kick the weekend off with a bang!

Saturday morning guests were welcomed at a beautiful resort in Newport Beach and started off the sunny day with a kick-butt, sweaty workout lead by Lori Harder herself! The group then participated in an uplifting and strengthening yoga workout. Lori kicked off the bliss session with speaking about her topic, “Creating a Quantum Shift” and running through exercises about barriers and affirmations. Professional guest speakers spoke on life-coaching tools and confidence and ran breakouts around establishing goals and finding confidence.

Throughout Saturday, there were fun, exciting moments like the workouts, meeting new friends and seeing old ones and there were moments of deep thought, meditation and breaking through barriers. Saturday ended with a beautiful group dinner with a funky fashion show debuting the new Busy Girl clothing line.

The final day of The Bliss Project, began with yoga and meditation led by Kirsten Erickson and a message from the key note speaker, Kim Dolan Leto. The day closed out with Lori Harder speaking about finding your purpose and living within your mission. The day came to an end with a beautiful exercise, “The Beauty I see in You”, where each woman came face to face with another and told each other a strength they see in the other.

The Bliss Project most certainly was a life-changing event for not only those who attended, but for the volunteers, the team at Busy Girl and all of the speakers who gave so much time and energy to the weekend. There were tears, smiles, laughs, hugs and an overwhelming feeling of empowerment and strength.

Lori Harder and the team at Busy Girl look forward to more events and hope that you can join them!

Originally from Minnesota, 28 year old Leah Gruber now lives out her passions and dreams in the bright lights of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Just last fall, Leah came out on top twice when she placed 4th in ’13 Ms. Bikini and 4th in Figure America in Las Vegas.

Leah explains, “An unforeseen blessing of pursuing my fitness goals was my inspiration to pursue goals in other aspects of my life as well. After my first Fitness America competition in Vegas I decided that I wanted to move to Las Vegas and try to pursue a career in aerial arts. Up until then it had just been a passionate hobby of mine. But here I am living, training and performing in Vegas for the last two years. And I have had the time of my life with no regrets.

One of my next goals is to take my aerial, dance, and gymnastics background to the Fitness America stage this year and compete in fitness.”

Leah’s Fit Tip: Find a workout you really enjoy doing. Switch things up and try a new class like yoga, boxing, pole, rock climbing, crossfit, ect. Your workout will feel less monotonous and you will probably hit some muscle groups you don’t work that often.

33 year old mother, Brianne Corral owns a gym with her husband called “Corral’s Martial Arts” in Schererville, IN. She teaches Female Cardio Kickboxing, Female Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Strength/Conditioning class.

“Six months after having my son I decided to enter in my first fitness competition. I did a little research and found the Fitness America federation. I then decided to enter the Fitness America Midwest show only 6 months after having my son in 2009. I had 6 months to get back in shape before the show, but not just in shape, ‘competition shape’.

I wanted to push myself to get into great shape, lose the baby weight and tone up. If I couldn’t make it to the gym I would work out at home using my growing son as weights by doing lunges and squats with him in a harness. I had to get creative. Entering the competition was the push I needed to achieve my goals and then some. I was in the best shape of my life just one year after having my son. I took 2nd place in my first show and that motivated me to keep on growing and getting better, building more muscle, changing my diet and exercise routines, getting more confident on stage and with posing, learning what poses work best for my body. This confidence wasn’t just improved on stage but also in life.

Since then my classes have grown tremendously and I have motivated others to join me in competing to give them the extra push to reach their goals. I started Team BeFit for the girls who wanted to push their limits and possibly compete. Two of them competed in the Fitness America Midwest show in 2013 taking 2nd and 3rd in their divisions. I was overjoyed when I won 1st Place in Model and became the Fitness America Midwest 2013 Bikini Overall Champion! Winning only motivated me to compete more. So I decided I was ready to take the big stage! I entered the Fitness America Weekend Las Vegas show. It was a great experience and I met a lot of wonderful beautiful and talented people. Now I’m hooked! This year I will be competing in the Fitness America Great North Show, Fitness Universe, Fitness America Midwest, and again at Fitness America Weekend Las Vegas. I hope to continue building my BeFit team and finish in the top 10 in Vegas.

“3rd times a charm!”

Full time Chemical engineer, fit mommy and figure athlete Camie Guerrero is prepping for her 4th year of competitions. After coming in a close 2nd at her last two figure shows, she has her eye on the prize for Fitness Universe.

The 32 year old, single mom is hoping that the 3rd time will be the charm and she can finally win big in Florida. This off season the New Mexico native had been focusing on building size with lots of “old school” power lifting, HIIT and following a paleo diet.

From discouragement to digging deep, Stephanie Sschmid focuses on putting energy into others. The 22 year old personal trainer is from South Windsor, CT and studies Nutrition and Dietetics full-time.

“I started competing in 2011 with Fitness America. I placed first in the figure short division and was hooked there after. I continued competing locally as well as in Miami. I have been striving for my Pro status for sometime and almost came close last year at Fitness New England; placing first once again. It has been a struggle for me to say the least, and sometimes discouraging. I came to realize that this journey isn’t about obtaining a “PRO” title, or a plastic trophy… but instead reflecting on the confidence, self respect, dignity, strength, power, and friendships I have gained over these last four years.

I wouldn’t be where I am today if I had never taken the stage. It has given me the ability to succeed in all areas of my life. A lot of people don’t understand why we take the stage or why we train so hard every day..but that’s okay. I do it for me. I love pushing my body to new limits and watching my physique change over the years. Building a physique is something that needs to be worked at every single day. To me, having a strong work ethic in the gym represents a person who is strong in all aspects of their life. Lifting and living a healthy lifestyle is my meditation, my drug, my release; It drives me to be a better person every single day. It’s my WHY.

As of now, I am unsure as to when my next show will be, but when I do compete again I will make sure I bring the best package to the stage. Right now, I am focusing on my clients, building a better physique, and graudating in December my degree in Nutrition and Dietetics.”

“She leaves the audience stunned as she Soars in the air across the stage like a real super hero.” Fitness America Pro Champion, Stacie Venagro is a 29 year old personal trainer from Cranston, Rhode Island. She first decided to learn about personal training at the age of 18 because she wanted to change her fate. Not only does obesity run in her family but she saw herself slowly realizing that outcome.
Stacie made this change because she was afraid to let her health deteriorate at such a young age. She improved her overall health and then started assisting others with her methods. She started with family members and they saw amazing results! She continues to better herself physically as well as her family and current clients. Due to her addiction of watching bodies transform so she became an AFAA Certified Personal Trainer.
“While I still continue to challenge myself in competing in fitness, it shows my family, friends and clients that anything is possible.
My most accomplished moment was when my name was called for the 2nd time in a row for World Miss Fitness America! Winning back to back titles is a huge accomplishment! Knowing that I was able to make history in FAP didn’t hit me right away, it was when I got home to my supporters, family and friends! They are what keep me going on a daily basis to show them that it is possible!
This picture is my favorite as it captures this exact moment as stated above.
My best comp prep advice is to trust the process and enjoy the journet! Nothing happens overnight but you can do it!”

Two time Fitness Universe Champion Anca Bucar announced this week that she’s coming back for Round 3! The Romanian fitness star says, “I’ve started the year with a lot of things to do which is great and I feel like time is flying so fast! I’ve already started my preparation for June. Dedication for my goal includes hard training, clean food, searching for new fitness routine and costumes. I can’t wait! I’m so excited about this!” Anca is a former Romanian gymnastics champion and renown dancer and acrobatic performer which makes her skills so much more honed than many other fitness competitors.

Romania is a country rich in gymnastic dance tradition and one of the most popular stars is Roxana Chiperi. The professional dancer, model and television star has been a successful competitive fitness competitor for the past few years, too. Roxana says she’s decided to bring her talents to the Fitness Universe stage this season including the Rimini, Universe and Europe shows.

Last weekend’s Camp Fitness New Mexico was big success with over 100 anxious ladies spending two days with legendary champions including (L-R) Tiffani Bachus (’09 Fitness America), Jessica Rinaldi Donathan (’13 Figure America & Universe) & Jessica Vasquez (’13 Model America) with promoter Cristin Kiburz.

Minnesota fitness diva Lorrie Insisiengmay has been competing in Fitness Universe shows for 15 years! The 40 something, in shape hottie will be a co-host at the Fitness Great North show on April 13 in Minneapolis.  Born and raised in Chicago, very family oriented, Lorrie knew at an early age that fitness is an important aspect in life. Growing up in a structured family and participating in high school sports, cheerleading, dance and theater, she began building a stable, well-diverse, fitness foundation. Breaking school records with her track team, she realized the power that positive personal competition can help you excel in anything.

Figure Universe Natural Pro Cindy Canas is a mother and business woman who trains every day to stay natural fit for family and life.  The 5’2″, 110 lbs., 39 year old mother of 4 kids including a pair of 7 year old twin boys.  Cindy is personal trainer whom has only been competing for a year, but is an experienced ballet and jazz dancer.  She is always a bunch of energy on stage and full of enthusiasm backstage.