Monica Brant Joins the Calgary Crew!

Hey everyone!




I've been meaning to blog about this every day for the past week or so, but life was keeping me just a little too busy. For a few weeks after the WBFF Alberta Championships at the beginning of the month, Monica Brant had been training here in Calgary with my trainer, Nathan Harewood. Nathan and I go back a couple years, I actually met him in Calgary right before I went to one of Monica's F.E.M. Camps in Marina del Ray, where he was going to be helping out (a bunch of us girls from Calgary our going to her camp in October, check out her website for more details! She puts on a great camp, and it's an incredible experience to get to spend a weekend learning from a fitness icon!). Ever since that trip, I became passionate about fitness and competing. I'm so thankful to have Nate in my life, because he is the one who encouraged me to do my first show and he's the mastermind behind this physique! So, now Monica has chosen Nathan to train her for the upcoming WBFF World Championships (8 weeks away!)...a wise choice on her part, because he is amazing at what he does.



Monica joined our little crew for many of our training sessions at The Athlete Factory, where Nate kicks our butts almost daily. It was such a huge privilege getting to train with a woman who I have looked up to and who has been an inspiration for me since I first got into the sport. Monica is so genuine and down-to-earth, it's like she brings a special "glow" with her wherever she goes! It was really motivating having her join our training sessions, and it got me even more excited for Worlds in September. I know she made some huge gains here while training with Nate, and I can't wait to see her on stage after following his plan!

(Here's me, Monica, and some of the girls Nathan trains after a hardcore session at AF)

One of the nights during Stampede, I went to the Vendrome launch party (where we arrived in a limo and Nathan treated us with VIP passes), and got to party with Monica, Linda, and some of the girls I train with. We had such a blast! Though we might have had a bit much to drink (but also made a lot of great memories), that was my last time going out until we all head down to Vegas for The Olympia! Here's a picture of Monica, Nathan, and me from that night:

It was such a treat training with Monica when she was here. I can't wait to see her again at Worlds, where I know she will blow aay the competition! And as for me, I am getting more and more excited by the day as I prep for Worlds....new blog about my prep coming soon!

Katie Noval

WBFF Fitness & Bikini Model

Already?? 9 WEEKS OUT!

So I've been wanting to start a blog for months now, but the last few months were so full with preparing for the 2010 WBFF Alberta Championships while studying and cramming in courses to get closer to finishing my degree that I didn't have time for anything else! Now I finally have time to breathe, so I can start my blog! Yay!

I'm 9 weeks out from The WBFF World Championships, and I woke up this morning and realized how soon that really is! I just finished competing in the AB Championships in Calgary, and placed 5th in diva bikini and 6th in fitness model. Since there were 60 girls in each category, I feel pretty good about my placings. I had been aiming for top 3 in fitness (well really, I wanted that Pro Card!), but I've decided to take the bits of advice I got from Paul and Allison Dillet and the judges and do what I can in the next 9 weeks to improve myself. After the show in Calgary, I briefly considered opting out of Worlds so that I could use the next two months to build up my physique (instead of dieting down again and losing that time), but I realized that I don't want to miss out on the experience! There will be so many great opportunities that week in Toronto, and there are a whole lot of amazing people who I have met while competing in The WBFF who will be there competing, taking photos, or helping to organize and run the show...and I just can't imagine missing out on that! Plus, I feel 100% confident in my physique and in the improvements I know I can make, even in such a short period of time.

After a mini vacation to Kelowna this past week to go boating and go to the Deadmau5 show, I'm back on track with my dieting and training. It was great to get to enjoy myself (ice cream every day, and even a few Bud Light Lime!) but those few days of vacation really reminded me how much I love preparing for a show and following my usual routine.

9 WEEKS OUT, SEE YOU ALL AT WBFF WORLDS!

Here is a picture from my vacation to Kelowna, the one and only time this year I have had a drink in my hand! (Rockin' an amazing bikini by Theberge Designs, Tanya is so talented!)

Katie Noval

WBFF Fitness & Bikini Model