I have always been physically active – I always loved running and I never skipped gym class at school.

But my real journey into fitness started 4 years ago when my son became 2 months old. It was then when I had my first weight training which I really liked, and I wanted to go forward and train more and more. Actually, my goal was to gain the body of a fitness model so that I could look like those models that compete in bodybuilding competitions.

After a few months I found a personal trainer who helped me build my body in the way I wanted. I was learning fast as I was so excited for the results I started seeing. I started to train by myself with a training program designed by my trainer.

Several months later I realized that I would like to enter a fitness competition, so I started training more, doing more cardio and eating ‘right’.

My first competition was in autumn 2014. I was competing in the IFBB – the results were shocking and I won 3^rd place in the Bikini Fitness category and 2^nd place in the Body Fitness category. The results were pushing me forward.

Just one year later I became a Fitness Model Pro – I won the first place in the WBBF/WFF World Championship 2015. It’s like a dream come true for everyone involved in the fitness industry!

Interestingly, I saw the most success after I became a 100% vegan (plant based) athlete. Not even a year went by after sticking with the plant based diet when I was titled the World Fitness champion!

As a vegan, it was very challenging to prepare for the competition. But, as soon as I started to see the results and notice that you can also burn a percentage of fat with consuming a lot of carbohydrates, I became a 100% convinced that I was on the right path.

I can now say with confidence that this is the healthiest way to prepare for a fitness competition, because a lot of carbohydrates, as well as enough protein and fat are consumed every day. This is a balanced diet, avoiding overconsumption of protein, which is definitely not good for the body. And, following the plant based diet gets rid of bloating and cellulite, improves skin conditions, and overall leaves you feeling lively and energized.

Not only are we improving our health – we’re also promoting animal welfare: by becoming vegan, innocent animals are no longer tortured and killed because of you. It’s a great feeling knowing that you’re helping to others – overall, a win-win situation.

It has now been 2 years since I became a vegan, and throughout these years I have been competing in 5 different federations and different categories so I have my own experience and opinion about this industry.