Wendy Pearson, of Launceston, will compete in the International Natural Body Building Association’s Tasmanian championships in two weeks, for the first time.
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WHAT started as an ‘‘if you will, I will’’ dare has turned into a fitness journey for Launceston woman Wendy Pearson.
Mrs Pearson, a mother of three, is competing in the INBA championships for the first time in two weeks.
The 42-year-old is contesting the first timer category, the fitness mumma category and the fitness 30 plus division.
She said there were a number of things that happened last year that inspired her to enter.
‘‘I suffered high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high stress, even though I have always kept fit, played team sports and competed in two Tough Mudder events,’’ Mrs Pearson said.
‘‘Through dietary advice, I decided a major tweak in nutrition was required, as I had no intention of being on medication for the rest of my life.’’
Mrs Pearson’s son had also embarked on a weight loss journey, which saw him lose 25 kilograms last year.
‘‘The topic of competing came up over the table,’’ Mrs Pearson said.
‘‘It was an ‘I will if you will’ dare and it was well out of my comfort zone.
‘‘The thing is, he decided to play football instead, but I had already committed to a nutrition and training program with my PT Callan Richardson, from KFM Fitness.’’
It was 25 weeks ago that Mrs Pearson started tweaking her nutrition, with the help of Mr Richardson, using an If It Fits Your Macro diet.
‘‘Initially no food was ‘bad’ as long as it fitted within the macronutrients set for me,’’ Mrs Pearson said.
She hadn’t found the dieting tough yet, but the next few weeks would be the hardest, as calorie intake had to go down.
‘‘The toughest part is continuity,’’ she said.
‘‘But you’ve got to remember that goal.
‘‘My blood pressure has normalised now and is under control without medication and my cholesterol is normal and healthy.
‘‘I learned through a very sick friend, life is way too short: embrace the challenges, mark things off that bucket list with a smile, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.
‘‘Unknowingly, my friend is my daily dose of inspiration.’’