Monique Cormier, who has overcome obesity and severe depression en route to becoming a world class amateur bodybuilder, joins Dave [ ... ]
Spotlight On: Cynthia Colón
Category you compete in: Bodybuilding
Date of birth: (does a real lady disclose the actual year she was born? But ok, ok if you must know, 10/14/76)
Hometown: Old Bridge, NJ
Career: Marketing Director for Commercial Real Estate Co. for about 14 years (talk about committed & dedicated)
If you could change into a superhero for a day who would you be and why? Hmmm, this is a tough question actually. one Superhero that pops into mind is the Invisible Woman.....just imagine all the trouble and mischief you could cause and no one would even know it was you. Not that I like to get into trouble or anything, but it would be fun! .......Or imagine things you can see/hear without being seen yourself......
What made you begin dedicating your lifestyle to this sport? I went to my first show back in 2000 when a friend competed and I had promised myself that that would be me one day. It may have taken me a little longer than I had hoped, but after I started going to the gym back then, I was hooked. Years had gone by and finally in '07 I said, enough is enough I want to do this and here I am today. Not to mention there's nothing wrong with living a healthy lifestyle, it just makes you feel that much better about yourself and life in general.
What approach do you take to dieting...carb cycle..keto? I don't really have any special approach to dieting. With this year being the first year I've competed as a bodybuilde,r we're still trying to figure it all out....My body doesn't seem to react well to carbs at all so we've played around w/sodium loading and that seemed to work better for me.
What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about competing? Ohhh there are a few I can think of. A huge one though is that a lot of (naïve) people always assume that a ton of drugs play a huge part of competing (not the hard training and dieting) and automatically link bodybuilding with steroids. I like to think that a strong mind, dedicated heart and complete determination play a much bigger role than any type of drug.
What is your most embarassing childhood memory? I have to admit I really don't remember much about my childhood (at the moment), but I do know that when I was much younger (thinking around 5 or 6) I was walking on the sidewalk, tripped and fell flat on my face (I never was the graceful type, maybe that's why Mom enrolled me in ballet classes. I'm not going to lie - that didn't help), but anyway I was the only little blonde girl running around with pigtails and silver caps on my teeth.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned about YOURSELF during your contest prep? Hahahaha! I learned that even I don't want to be around myself during contest prep. Sadly, I put my poor sweetheart through hell these past few months......But seriously, it made me realize that I can do anything I set my mind to as long as I am fully-focused and continuously motivated and determined.
Who do you look up and admire and why? Personally, my mommy 100% - She was my best friend and such a strong individual, not physically, but both mentally and emotionally. Once she passed away (6 years ago this Dec 2011), I was determined to continue making her proud and following in her footsteps to be the best person I could ever be.
In this industry, there are so many incredible people that I have met along the way. I admire each and every one of them because I know it's not easy getting through contest prep and give everyone credit for doing what they love to do.
Competition history: I started off in figure back in 07:
2007 New Jersey - 1st place in both novice and open divisions
2007 Garden State Classic - 1st place in class & Overall figure champion
2009 Northeast Grand Prix - 3rd place in class
2009 Garden State Classic - 4th place in class
Then I switched to bodybuilding after getting some feedback from the judges:
2011 Garden State Classic - 1st place in middleweight class & Overall female bodybuilding champion
2011 Team Universe - 1st place in heavyweight class & overall female bodybuilding champion - where I got my IFBB Pro Card!!!!
Next competition: Not quite sure yet. With so many awesome female bodybuilders I don't feel I'm ready to share the stage with them just yet.....Also, there are a lot of little tweaks I'd like to make to my physique so I am looking forward to making those necessary changes and take it from there. Either way I'm excited to see what tomorrow brings.....
Favorite Motivational Quote: "Pain is temporary, Pride is forever" (just one of many)
Who would you like to thank? First and foremost, my boyfriend & the one responsible for kicking my butt into the best shape of my life, Chris Zimmerman. He has been by my side since day one and I really couldn't have gotten this far without his harsh honesty, tough love and continued motivation. He's pushed me when I felt like giving up and supported me every step of the way, not to mention he even stuck around when we both wanted to kill each other. ;) Chris is one of a kind and I am grateful to have him in my life.
I'd also like to thank my dearest friends and family for all of their ongoing support, putting up with me during prep and keeping me motivated. I've met some fellow competitors too who have made this season actually bearable and one of the best yet, so a huge thank you to all of them as well!!
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