{"id":2388,"date":"2023-11-09T21:02:58","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T21:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/?p=2388"},"modified":"2024-01-04T16:12:11","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T16:12:11","slug":"5-inspiring-fit-women-to-follow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/?p=2388","title":{"rendered":"5 Inspiring Fit Women to Follow"},"content":{"rendered":"

Layoff Payoff.<\/strong> In 2012, Gina Rose was unexpectedly laid off. She allayed her depression by literally putting one foot in front of the other and going for short runs around her apartment complex. Though she had never been a runner and had never stepped into a gym, she loved the way exercising made her feel. In 2013, Rose started selling gym memberships at a private club, and by 2015, she had completed her first fitness certification.<\/p>\n

Podcasting.<\/strong> Because she loved to exercise her body and her mind simultaneously, Rose fell in love with podcasts, and she was inspired to create her own called Why Wellness With Gina Rose<\/em>, a show that answers the buzzworthy question, What\u2019s your why?<\/em> through stories told by health and fitness pros. \u201cI had no professional training or experience in hosting or producing a podcast,\u201d Rose says. \u201cBut it didn\u2019t matter, as long as listeners could hear messages they could relate to and learn from.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rising Star.<\/strong> Rose devotes much of her free time to volunteering. She works with the Living Classrooms Girls\u2019 Empowerment Mission in Baltimore, providing fitness activities for underprivileged high-school girls \u2014 anything from teaching functional exercises like squats and push-ups to self-confidence and team-building activities. In 2020, Rose was recognized by the Baltimore Business Journal<\/em> and was named a Living Classrooms Rising Star recipient, an honor that highlights philanthropists in the community.<\/p>\n

Nikia Hovey<\/h2>\n

School principal
\n43 \u2022 128 lbs \u2022 5\u20327\u2033
\nMurrieta, California<\/p>\n

People Pleaser.<\/strong> Nikia Hovey has always been active, and at various times ran track and played volleyball and basketball. She was also a cheerleader in high school and at the University of Virginia. After college, she began coaching high-school and competitive cheerleading \u2014 a passion that continues today. But in 2016, she struggled to keep up with various life and career changes \u2014 notably, a promotion to principal of a sixth- to 12th-grade charter school. She became anxious, overwhelmed and stressed. She slept horribly, lost weight and even suffered from mild chest pains. But she masked it with a pair of stilettos and a smile.<\/p>\n

Bikini Dreams.<\/strong> Hovey\u2019s husband knew his wife was interested in getting back to the gym, and to make sure she actually went, he hired an IFBB Bikini pro athlete to train her. During their sessions, the pro shared the ins and outs of bikini competitions with Hovey, who finally felt like she had found something she wanted to do for herself. She joined a team of physique competitors, dialed in her fitness and nutrition, and competed for the first time in 2018.<\/p>\n

Woman on Fire.<\/strong> To date, Hovey has competed in six events, placing top five in five of them. \u201cBeing able to do this one thing solely for me has been so motivating,\u201d she says. Her ultimate goal is to win her pro card \u2014 and she\u2019s not letting anything get in her way. \u201cI feel like I am always running around like a chicken with its head cut off,\u201d says the schoolteacher, coach, wife and mother of two. But in reality, she has finally mastered the art of balance.<\/p>\n

Lindsay Walter<\/h2>\n

Running coach
\n30 \u2022 124 lbs \u2022 5\u20329\u2033
\nCharlotte, North Carolina<\/p>\n

Athletic Roots.<\/strong> When asked her favorite physical feature, Lindsay Walter answers: \u201cMy bald head.\u201d Walter lost her hair at age 2 due to alopecia areata and spent the majority of her childhood masking her hair loss with a wig. After years of teasing, she turned to sports for empowerment and quickly became a well-rounded athlete.<\/p>\n

Slam Dunk.<\/strong> In high school, Walter broke countless records playing basketball and went on to play Division II at the University of Minnesota Duluth. But every year, Walter watched the famous Grandma\u2019s Marathon and admired the strength and stamina of the participants. Her senior year, Walter decided to take part. Something clicked during those 26.2 miles along Lake Superior, and Walter knew she wanted to pursue marathon running.<\/p>\n

Runnin\u2019 Runnin\u2019.<\/strong> Walter has completed more than 40 marathons and four ultra-marathons, but one race in particular holds significant importance: the 2016 Rock \u2019n\u2019 Roll Marathon in San Diego. It was Walter\u2019s first bald marathon. \u201cIt was a hot, 20-mile run, so I took my wig off midrace and hung it up,\u201d she says. \u201cI haven\u2019t looked back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Current Affairs.<\/strong> Currently, Walter is training for a 100-mile ultramarathon. On a weekly basis, she does two back-to-back long runs, three 8- to 10-mile runs, one day of cross-training and takes a couple days of rest. She also always finds a way to incorporate stretching and yoga into her weekly split. \u201cRunning has taught me empowerment and has helped me to see how beautiful and strong I am,\u201d Walter says. Follow her journey on social media (IG @lindsayhannah3) and get inspired yourself.<\/p>\n

Katrina Shaw<\/h2>\n

Creator of Box Mania
\n58 \u2022 140 lbs \u2022 5\u20327\u2033
\nMontgomery, Alabama<\/p>\n

Pausing to Reflect.<\/strong> Katrina Shaw began teaching group fitness classes right out of high school. She was always trying new training styles and methods and remained in tiptop shape. But when she entered her late 40s, she began to notice a difference in her body. \u201cI was no longer happy with the results,\u201d she says. After some reflection, Shaw realized she had been in the best shape of her life when she was teaching martial arts.<\/p>\n

Kickin\u2019 Class and Taking Names.<\/strong> Shaw began martial arts training three days a week and almost immediately saw the results she desired. She decided to return to teaching the classes herself \u2014 and they were packed. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t enough room for everyone,\u201d she recalls. \u201cFamilies, men, women, college athletes \u2026 they all loved it.\u201d As positive feedback amounted, Shaw decided to format the workout protocol, named it Box Mania and had it accredited by the Athletics and Fitness Association of America. She began traveling and offering master classes to fitness professionals near and far looking to get certified.<\/p>\n

Career Moves.<\/strong> Shaw now has three unique Box Mania fitness formats and has opened a boxing gym in Wetumpka, Alabama. She remains busy training clients online and in person and uses her home gym for her personal workouts. Her physique goals are to remain fit and strong \u2014 and to do a cheerleading toe-touch jump at age 60. \u201cI set the goal when I was 25, and I\u2019m still on track at 58!\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Stacy Correa<\/h2>\n

Personal trainer, real estate agent
\n31 \u2022 107 lbs \u2022 5\u20321\u2033
\nLong Beach, California<\/p>\n

Shadowing Dad.<\/strong> As a child, Stacy Correa aspired to be a model and an actress \u2014 she even went to acting school and signed with a modeling agency. But she was extremely petite for her age, so her dad signed her up for the gym. \u201cIt was a way to focus on building the body I wanted to feel better about myself,\u201d she says. Correa recalls training frequently with her father and \u201cdoing whatever he did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Banking on Fitness.<\/strong> Soon, Correa entered the corporate world of banking. During lunch breaks, she\u2019d head over to nearby parks to do yoga, and after work, she\u2019d go to the gym to lift weights. \u201cMy co-workers would always tell me I was in the wrong field,\u201d she says. \u201cI was always talking about fitness and encouraging others to get into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Falling Out.<\/strong> In her early 20s, Correa struggled to find her ground. She got into an unhealthy relationship, had difficulty making ends meet, lost a lot of weight and fell into a dark depression. Fortunately, she had the clarity to go back to the thing that gave her structure and self-respect: the gym. \u201cFitness saved my life,\u201d she says. \u201cI always found my way back to the gym.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goals and Achievements.<\/strong> Correa became a certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist, and opened her own online business, StayCFit. She made her dream of competing a reality in 2018 when she did her first NPC bikini show. Since then, she has hit the stage four times and is a two-time national qualifier. In 2021, she hopes to earn her pro card and grow her fitness community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Layoff Payoff. In 2012, Gina Rose was unexpectedly laid off. She allayed her depression by literally putting one foot in front of the other and going for short runs around her apartment complex. Though she had never been a runner and had never stepped into a gym, she loved the way exercising made her feel. In 2013, Rose started selling gym memberships at a private club, and by 2015, she had completed her first fitness certification. Podcasting. Because she loved to exercise her body and her mind simultaneously, Rose fell in love with podcasts, and she was inspired to create […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2389,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[726,114,204,205,206,203,207],"class_list":["post-2388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-womens-health","tag-future-of-fitness","tag-healthy-living","tag-mind-and-body","tag-motivation","tag-style-and-beauty","tag-womens-fitness-personalities","tag-womens-health","post--single"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2388"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2803,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2388\/revisions\/2803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}