From Out of Shape Mom to Bikini Pro Mom- Inspiring Women: Michelle Cagle

Trying to lose that post-pregnancy weight can be one of the most stressful and hardest goals for many women to accomplish. This week’s inspiring women, not only lost her pregnancy weight but ended up shining on stage at a Bikini Competition. Michelle Cagle is still competing – recently winning her Bikini Pro Status Card while at a WBFF Show in Toronto. How does she do it all? Read on to find out!

Womens Ab Workout: Tell us more about yourself. Who are you? How long have you been training and what are your goals and aspirations in the fitness industry?

Michelle Cagle:

-       I am a 31 year old mom of a 2 year old son, I also own my own business that I work at full time.

-       I’ve been working out my entire life but only the last year and ½  have I taken my fitness for the next level. I decided to do this from being motivated to loose the baby weight from the 50lbs that I gained.

WAW: You are a Mom, Fitness Competitor and Fitness Model. What was your motivation to get into the fitness industry and start working out?

Michelle: I attended Monica Brant’s FEM camp and had a local girl who was one of my son’s play coaches who helped encourage me to try for a big goal of doing my first show.  It was intriguing to me and I decided to enter the Europa hot mom contest in Orlando and placed third.  So then I went for my first local NPC show and worked my way up to the National level from there.

WAW:  How do you balance the lifestyle of a fitness model/competitor and being a Mom? What advice do you have for other women who are trying to do the same thing?

Michelle:

This is a tough question as a child will always take all of your time.  This is a conundrum for every mom.  For me though, I wake up early at 5:45am and start my workout.  Nothing pops up at this time of morning and everyone is sound asleep.  I use this time to clear my head and working out helps me start my day with more energy. Closer to a show, after I put Dax down for bed, I’ll get in my 2^nd cardio.

I have a small home gym with a treadmill, Bow Flex and some, Bosu ball, and some hand weights of various weights.  Sometimes I’ll get in my workout at home with a circuit of some polymeric followed by some cardio.  This is my favorite as I never leave the house and still get my workout in.  Convenience is very nice and leaves you with no excuses to not work out. It is also good for when it’s a Sunday and the gym has no child care or if there is construction down town.

-       When I travel, I pack my food and pack a P90x DVD if there is no other way to get a workout in on the road.  Again, no excuses.

-       On the weekend, we grill out by the pool together as a family and I put the food in containers weighed and portioned for the week.

WAW:  I saw you on stage at the Arnold Amateur Bikini Contest and come to find out you are a Mom – you look absolutely AMAZING! You have a body many women are jealous of!

Michelle:

-    Thank you, you are so kind   Really, anyone can do it not just me.  I struggle like everyone else.  More people should believe in themselves.  It sets a good example for your kids when you take care of your body and value your health.  Surprisingly it has this ripple affect and rubs off on your friends and family in a good way.  This helps with your support to keep up the good work.

-       That was my first Arnold.  I really had so much fun at that show.  I had no real expectations for that show, it was a big surprise to me to get 2^nd!  A very healthy rush for sure.  Just writing about it makes me happy all over again.

WAW: To be in this type of shape you must be very focused and dedicated to your workouts – how would you describe your workouts and training? How many days a week are you doing cardio?

Michelle:

-       Well this varies depending on how close I have a show coming up or a photo shoot.  The cardio can be anywhere from 4 days a week to 6 days a week once or twice a day. And the weights, I love my weights.  I keep the reps high (20-40) and the weight very light (2-8lbs for upper body and 40-10 lbs for lower body).

-       Sometimes girls are afraid of weights.  Now this is really an irrational fear that I debunk to women on a daily basis.  They love their cardio and can’t figure out what is going on, why are they not reaching their goals? I ask about weights and they shrink away with a vision of a bodybuilder they saw one time somewhere in a gym and shrug since that “look” is not their goal.  Build some muscle ladies.  Those girls want to look like that and try very hard to look like that.  You are not in any danger of lifting weights and looking like that without some serious intervention that you aren’t going to do anyway.

-       Building and toning lean muscle replaces the fat and gives you the shape that you see in the magazines.  Go for it.  Don’t be scared.  I love it.

WAW:  The biggest factor in losing weight is your DIET. What does your diet look like on a daily basis? Does it change as you get closer to a competition or photo shoot?

Michelle:

-       Oh yes, diet.  Just the name is making people shake in their boots. You can’t think of it as a diet or what you can’t have. You have to think of it another way, a way of fueling your body like a finely tuned machine. You put junk in, you get junk out. Every thing that you put in your mouth should be analyzed.  How often are you eating? If you wait too long in between meals you binge eat whatever is in sight.  Here are a few rules that I use anytime close to a show or after a show:

-       I try to put the most whole clean foods in my mouth.  This means nothing processed or carbonated.

-       Steer clear of artificial sweeteners.  This one really sneeks up on people. They are every where, diet soda, your favorite protein powder, the little pink packets that you put in your tea. You say I took in one calorie, but you have cellulite on your ass and you wonder why? These products are doing things to your body on a cellular level that you don’t even realize they are doing to you.  If you must do something, moderation please.  I have a bottle of the purest liquid stevia that I put in my unsweet tea. A pinch of that is perfect.

-       Water.  Most people walk around in a perpetually dehydrated state. Water flushes fat.  The more water you drink, up to a gallon a day, no need for more extremes than that, the more it flushes your fat out of your body.  I have water in my car, at my office at my house, next to my treadmill everywhere at an arms reach.  If it is close to you, you will drink it.  Set yourself up for success. It also helps with that little bloated belly ladies love to complain about.  Poof, belly bloat, gone.

-       I have protein with every meal of some type Tilapia, chicken, egg whites, lean grilled beef etc…  I like fast.  I get frozen egg whites from egg whites international – there is a link my site www.MichelleCagle.com favs – I put it in my fridge at home and work.  I pump a few pumps in a glass raw and mix with a little chocolate protein powder.  Just as fast a drinking water.

-       Carbs, don’t steer clear of carbs entirely.  You need them for energy.  Just portion them and have them with your first few meals.  Choose clean carbs.  I like plain instant oatmeal, canned pumpkin, sweet potatoes, Ezekiel bread, white or brown rice, corn tortillas etc… Closer to a show I will rotate the numbers of meals that I have them with, but never eliminate them more than a couple of days.

-       Veggies, I love any type of green veggies.  I have them with almost every meal that I have.

-       Homemade protein bars are my favorite indulge right now. If I have a craving, I’ll have one of these with me. Cravings will come and be ready for them when they do.  I equip myself with these bars, sugar free gello, almond butter, a rice cake with some honey on it is my favorite.

WAW: Has being a fitness competitor and model affected how you are raising your son in anyway – is he a clean eater too?

Michelle:

-       Yes, it’s kinda funny I think.  Dax has the funniest breakfasts under the sun for a kid I think.  I make him quick cook plain oatmeal, but I’ll sneak in a few pumps of egg whites, blue berries, organic honey, cinnamon, and sliced almonds.  He used to pick out the blue berries,  but then I started smashing them up and now he likes them.  I like to make pancakes with oat flour and pumpkin for him with a little veggie bacon.  Ok, now I’m getting hungry J  See people don’t know that I really like to eat! I’m eating every 3 hours.

-       I like to have fresh fruit sliced up or accessible in his lunches or at breakfast for him to pick up and put in his mouth.  The organic stuff is really more flavorful and he likes that sweetness. He drinks some of my husbands’ protein shakes when he gets back from the gym.

-       Kids yogurt that doesn’t have the excess sugar in it is a great snack.  He loves organic apple sauce too.

-       His milk is hormone free and lactose free whole milk.

-       He goes to a birthday party and stares at the pizza.  He doesn’t really care for it at all.  He will eat the cake at the party.  Hey, he is a kid and I let him have treats for special occasions.

WAW:  What are your top three favorite moves for tight and toned arms?

Michelle:

Anything shoulders.  If your shoulders are toned and shapely, everything else looks smaller.

1.)   Side raises with hand held weights.

2.)   Shoulder Press

3.)   Leaned over tricep kicks to the sides arm after arm to target that third tricep muscle that pops out. 40 reps at 5 lbs.

WAW: What is your favorite motivational quote?

Michelle:

There are so many that speak to me at different times in my life.  But currently this one is speaking to me in so many ways.

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome. – William James.

It sounds so simple, but really, really…. Think about times when you approached something with a positive attitude, or with a pessimistic or fearful one, how was the outcome for you?  For me this is true, over and over and over again. I lean from my mistakes and learn from my successes.

WAW: What’s next for you in 2010?

Michelle:

I’m going for my pro-card at the WBFF Worlds in Toronto Sept 18^th! I’ve got a good feeling about this show.  I’m really excited to be a part of this federation for this show.

WAW: Where can we find more information out about you?

Michelle:

www.MichelleCagle.com

Need MORE inspiration? Check out THESE Amazing Women:

Inspiring Women: Emily Stirling

Inspiring Women: Barbara Server

Inspiring Women: Emily Lind

Related posts:

1. Finding the Key to Success – Inspiring Women: Raechelle Chase
2. Finding the Essence of Em – Inspiring Women: Emily Lind
3. Believe in Yourself – Believe in Success – Inspiring Women: Megan Moon
4. A ‘Coyote Ugly’ Dancing Fitness Diva – Inspiring Women: Stephanie Brewster
5. Breaking Through Barriers – Inspiring Women: Alyson Boyd

Tags: Ab Workout, Baby Weight, bikini competition, Bikini Women, Bosu Ball, Bow Flex, Conundrum, Fem, Fitness Competitor, Fitness Industry, Fitness Model, Flat Stomach Workout, Goals And Aspirations, Hand Weights, Hinds, Home Gym, Hot Mom Contest, Lifestyle Fitness, michelle cagle, Monica Brant, Motivation, Next Level, Npc, Old Mom, Own Business, Pregnancy, Treadmill, Worko