At the age of 51, Marlene Atkin competed in her very first fitness competition at ’13 Boston Championships as part of Body Ambition team and took 2nd place in the Ms. Bikini Masters division.

Deciding to take it up a notch, this spring, Marlene competed in both figure and bikini at ‘14 New England Championships. She won 1st place in the Figure Masters and 3rd place in the Ms. Bikini Masters division.

An avid student of all things health and wellness related, Marlene believes that the human body is an incredible machine. If treated with the respect it deserves, the body will go wherever the mind wants to take it. Marlene’s passion is sharing that message through her own personal journey and through her roles as a NASM personal trainer and as a Health Educator. Married and the mother of two sons, ages 22 and 21, Marlene discovered weight training after college. She has spent the past 30 years using weight training as the core of her own personal fitness program. Marlene has modeled that lifestyle for her sons throughout their entire lives and is thrilled that her oldest son, having just graduated college, is now competing in Natural Body Building and Physique competitions. Inspiring her children and others to reach for their highest ambitions at any age is truly one of the most rewarding aspects of being a figure and bikini competitor. She will be spreading her message of how to live a deliciously fit life at any age through her company Fit-licious at MarleneAtkin.com.

Jo Loeskow at her first competition at the ’14 Musclemania Australia show! Here she is presenting in the Clubwear round of the Model Women Open division. Jo says, “This was my very first time on stage at my very first competition. I was pushing myself completely outside my comfort zone. A comfort zone is a nice place, but nothing ever grows there! I’ve learnt so much about myself this year by challenging myself to be the best version of me that I can be. I’ve set myself some massive goals for 2015 that scares the daylights out of me, but I’m excited to see where this journey leads!”

’14 Figure Europe competitor Carmen Diaz from Team Armed Forces Europe will be competing for the first time on October 19. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she was State Police and a Deputy Jailer. Carmen is now a military spouse and mother living in Wiesbaden, Germany. She played volleyball in college and has a bachelor degree in Criminal Justice.

This November marks the 25th Anniversary for the Fitness America show. Although Norsiah Castellanos has competed in competitions before, this will be her first time at the ’14 Fitness America show. Even though she is swamped with Med School, she has planned something special for the show. Norsiah says, “Though a trophy would be nice to finally get, it’s not the reason why I do what I do. I want to inspire others and to be inspired. All of your kind words keep pushing me to go that extra mile.”

Congratulations to 43 year old Kristi Haglund-Parrotte for winning Physique Overall, Ms. Bikini Classic, and Figure division at the ’14 Colorado Championships. Getting to where she is now seems like a dream to Kristi. By having goals in her life, Kristi was able to get past her 2 in. leg length discrepancy at birth and push through 5 surgical procedures for corrections. She says, “I want to show my children that our tomorrows are created by what we dream today. I also want to show all women that their dreams and goals can be attained. It does not matter if you are 40, 50, or 60 years old. Knowing is believing and believing is achieving!”

Sandy Sciutto-Cook won the Overall Ms. Bikini Title at ’14 Britain show on September 13. She is not wasting time, pushing forward and getting ready to compete at the ’14 Europe Championships in Barcelona on October 19. Sandy says, “I won ’14 Ms. Bikini Britain; let’s see what happens when I compete in Europe. After that is Miami and Las Vegas for the World Championships. Bodybuilding is my life and Musclemania is absolutely becoming my bodybuilding family!”

Fitness Universe Pro Sharon PD took nearly a year off, but is determined to get back into competition shape. She just started training on July 19 and it is only 1 more week until the ’14 Texas Championships! Sharon says, “I’m going to do it! Can’t wait to show my transformation to prove that you can do it again! Even when life hits you hard, it is how you get back up!”

’14 Ms. Bikini New Mexico competitor Maria Andersen will admit some mornings will be hard to get up for early morning cardio. She makes no excuses however. Maria says, “I am here and I want a change my body composition. Do you want a change in your body condition? That means challenge yourself! You will keep looking the same as you did yesterday if you keep doing what you are doing. Be uncomfortable and push yourself!”

’14 New York competitor Kate McKay calls herself the Master Motivator. She is a transformational speaker, author, coach, entrepreneur, business owner and a mother of 3! Kate’s passion is to spread her message of living a life of abundance, health, and prosperity. This month she has released 2 books; “Living Living Sexy Fit: At Any Age!” and “Motherhood – Dreams & Success.” Kate says, “I’m committed and passionate about helping people take their sexy back. Whether that “sexy” is about doing work that fires them up, having the body of their dreams, or even having the relationship they desire. To me, sexy is all about living a life of vitality, passion and confidence. It’s about letting go of negative self-talk and feelings of unworthiness, which no longer serve you, so you can live your life all-out.” Catch Kate Mckay at the ’14 New York show on October 18.

’14 Ms. Bikini America competitor Andrea Baker is in the process of launching a virtual fitness business that focuses on physical and mental health. She was not always this active in the fitness scene though. In the beginning, Andrea just wanted a smaller waist, to look good in a bikini and a tighter rear. She soon found out she needed both physical and mental strength for her fitness journey. Andrea says, “I can push myself to get through that last 10 minutes of cardio. I can pump myself up enough to increase my barbell weight. I can exhale harder to knock out those last few reps. What I have struggled to do is shake off the judgments and negativity of others. It has taken all of the mental strength I have to keep going when I’m faced with these challenges, but I have done it and I’m doing it. With my chin held high, I say to you, now that is something to be proud of.” Catch Andrea Baker at the Fitness America Show on November 21-22.