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Spotlight On IFBB Fitness Pro: Amber Leon
Category you compete in: F
itness
Date of birth: February 18, 1984
Hometown: Madera California (but currently living in Seattle, WA.)
Career: Ha..does professional student count? Part time personal trainer/nutrition consultant for clients and full time graduate student.
Competition history:
Vancouver Naturals 2011-2nd place figure 5’4-5’5 and 3rd place fitness tall.
Emerald Cup 2011-4th place figure over
5’4-5’5 and 3rd place fitness tall.
Vancouver Naturals 2012 -1st place fitness tall and overall fitness tall
Emerald cup 2012-1st place fitness tall
Team Universe 2012 -1st place fitness tall and National Fitness overall champion.
Next competition: Shooting for the Tampa Pro Show as my pro debut!
In your opinion, how important is motivation and confidence when aiming to accomplish a goal? It can make or break your contest prep. If you’re not motivated the likelihood of putting in the work when life gets hectic is nil and the likelihood of throwin’ in the towel if you’re not confident perhaps even greater.
In your eyes, what combination of hard work and natural ability is needed to reach the top? Hard work wins it all. To have natural ability is one thing but to capitalize on it is another. I think that it also depends on your mindset though. Where is the top for you? Is it a personal best or winning it all? Either way if you’ve put in the work the victory is that much sweeter. Personally I’m not satisfied with settling for what comes naturally- I want to push my own limits and achieve more.
What are some motivational strategies that have or currently work for you? Hmm this depends on the day. Some days it is talking to a fellow teammate or competitor about my prep or new moves I’m working on for routine. Other days it’s looking in the mirror and getting pumped about what ‘this workout is going to do for my physique.’ Keeping photos from previous shows on my prep binder and staying connected to my Save Fitness teammates definitely keeps me focused and motivated.
Give me some examples from your life where confidence has helped you to achieve? Recently I was delivering a presentation on how to cut weight in a healthy way to high school wrestlers. It was a last minute seminar and my first presentation on behalf of a dietitian I was interning for, so my nerves were through the roof. The entire drive to the school (about 20 min) I reminded myself that this is what the last year of grad school has been leading up to. Finding confidence in that sports nutrition is my passion and I have the knowledge to present on the top
ic. The presentation was effortless, with a tremendous amount of positive feedback.
In applying for grad school I had to emit confidence in my personal statement to show that I was the right candidate for the program. It obviously was a success as I am in my final 5 months!!
Part of my program requirement is working as a student clinician in our natural health clinic as a nutritional counselor. My first appointment had my stomach in knots! Throughout the training process the professors emphasized, “be confident, you know your stuff. We’re here to help you when something comes up you aren’t familiar with.” Projecting confidence with each new patient solidified that this is my expertise and gave the patient confidence in my services. My clinic experience was phenomenal!
What do you find the most challenging about competing? Challenging ha nothing….denial can be a lovely thing lol. By far finding balance is my most challenging aspect in competing. Between spending QT with my hubs, meeting the demands of grad school, giving 110% to my clients, and still enjoying a social life I am tapped out most days. My days revolve around my planner.
What are your top 5 key strategies for success?
1. Finding balance- love to say that I am an expert in this, but seems to be my biggest struggle. Fortunately my hubby is patient with me enough to let me figure it out. Sometimes balance is best learned thru trial and error.
2. Commitment along with persistence- Gotta keep your head held high with your sights focused on the goal. Appreciating the bumps along the way can only help you grow.
3. Realistic expectations and goals- I often have theses grandiose ideas so I find myself having to step back to set realistic limits and timelines to make them manageable/achievable with what my schedule allows.
4. There is no I in Team! Learning to let others help me along the way has been huge in my success thus far. Sure I can do this by myself but it is a lot harder and lonely. My success is a combination of my team and me!
5. Passion- Remembering why I am taking this journey. Staying passionate about my craft brings out the enjoyment even on those days when life has left me stressed and tired.
What is your favorite protein powder? Why do you like it? True Nutrition Team Skip and DC formulas natural unsweetened chocolate. I’m a whole foods junkie and prefer to stay away from supplements with a long list of excipients. Might be somewhat neurotic but I also inquired about their testing procedures for raw materials and final products…FYI- third party tested against original certificate of analysis.
Favorite Inspirational Quote:
"It's not enough to take the steps which may someday lead to a goal; each step must be itself a goal and a step likewise"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
In closing, who would you like to give a shout out to? First and foremost my hubby and family who keep me sane on a daily basis and wrangle me back to reality. Thanks for dealing with my crazy!
My Save Fitness family- Tanji Johnson has been and continues to be a phenomenal mentor to me. Her guidance and friendship is invaluable for which I am eternally grateful. And to my sistas’, I love you all!!!
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