Okon Fitness VIP Spotlight: Alexis

Q: So what is your story, how did you get where you are today?

Pre-Fitness Journey
Before my real fitness journey I was approaching my “fitness” throughout college the wrong way. Unfortunately, I was dangerously restricting my calories, doing extensive amounts of cardio on top of that, and binge drinking heavily on the weekends.  I was always trying to get skinnier and the thought of gaining muscle made me afraid because I was OBSESSED with being as small as possible. You see, I felt as though I was never getting anywhere, I was unhappy, and my anxiety and stress levels were uncontrollable. It just got tiring, feeling weak physically, mentally, and emotionally.

After struggling through this battle and thinking about how I wanted to make a change I was looking at empowering social media accounts and blogs of female competitors a lot. I spoke with a close childhood friend about how I wanted to look, feel, and be. Aside from all my doubts and all my fears, he assured me that I CAN be who I want to be and I can accomplish anything. He told me that if there is a feeling or passion placed in my heart, it was put there for a reason and I need to follow it.

Everything Changed
A switch went off in my head and I decided that I can do more, be more, be better, be stronger, and I wanted to change my lifestyle. This same friend connected me with a personal trainer who I met with. I told that trainer what my goals were and that I wanted to get into strength training. He brought me through my first real strength training workout that consisted of deadlifts, back squats, pull ups, kettle bell swings — all things that I had NEVER done before and it was so eye opening because it was something different.

There was a long road ahead of me, I had no idea what I was doing, I had never strength trained besides maybe some sit ups or pushups or light bicep curls. I was even terrified to walk into the weight area of a gym because I did not want to look like an idiot. This scared me because I didn’t even know most basic movements.

Future Goals
From there I decided I wanted to compete because when I got into strength training I found my PASSION. When I train I feel a fire and passion in me that kills all my anxieties and makes me happy, confident, and FEARLESS. I had a professor that always told me “FIND YOUR PASSION!” and that is exactly what I discovered and why I decided I want to compete. It is not the end result, the prize, or the credit that motivates me, but it is being the best I can every day along the way and loving myself.

A quality that I possess that keeps me motivated and will make me a great competitor is that I am relentless. I believe you can always grow and learn from you failures and if you are learning from your failures then you really have not failed! My life is built on strong faith in God in everything that I do. I believe in chasing your dreams and never accepting less than what you want or deserve. If you want something, go after it and make it happen!

“I am lucky to have supportive friends and a very loving family”

The biggest obstacles to getting started have been self doubt, and worry. Self doubt that I won’t be able to do this or that I will fail. Worry because I have never competed and there is so much to know that I don’t already know. The human mind is POWERFUL and can be your worst enemy or your biggest and best influence. To escape these obstacles I had to train/still have to train my mindset. I am lucky to surround myself with supportive friends, gracious coworkers, and I have a very loving family. Choosing this lifestyle sometimes means you cannot keep old relationships that don’t support your old lifestyle. I have learned you can’t please everyone and you have to put yourself first.

Q: Why did you choose to work with Angie Marie as your coach?
I chose to work with Angie because of her philosophy and views on life. Aside from all of her accomplishments, work ethic, knowledge, and strength choosing a good coach for me goes beyond that. Angie is empowering, loving, positive, and believes in growth. She believes she deserves the best and she won’t settle for less. I admire the positive energy and passion that her spirit puts out. I believe in the law of attraction and that you should surround yourself with people that you aspire to be like, and that is Angie for me.

Q: What are some of your favorite quotes?
“There is no passion to be found playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

“I can do all things who Christ who strengthens me.”

“It shall be done for you, as you have believed.”

Q: What is some advice you have for someone who is just getting started?
Some advice to someone just getting started is this “fear is nothing but a feeling that causes certain manifestations. The word fear implies running away from something. When fear comes and it will, don’t let it stop you. We are to do it afraid! Don’t let a feeling control your destiny and determine what you can do. What we do in despite of our fear makes the difference between victory or defeat in our lives. Believe in yourself.

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