Lauren and my journey to finding love began, oddly enough, on social media. We had been friends on every social media platform for a couple of years and my sister in law also knew her through competing. It was only appropriate that I work the courage up and message her. To my surprise, Lauren responded to my message positively and we talked back and forth for a few days. I finally worked up the courage to ask her out on a date – which really wasn’t a date – it was more like a social function with co-workers. Lauren said yes, I charmed her all night, and the rest is history.

Lauren had already competed in a couple bikini contests when I told her I was interested in competing at my first show, which happened to be Muscle Beach here in Edmonton. It took me a couple days to convince her, but I managed to convince her to prep with me and we dove into prep headfirst. At first we thought it was going to be difficult because of the fact that prepping was already tough on one person let alone doing it together, but we both found that it was easier doing it as a couple. We were able to lean on one another through grueling late night workouts, grocery shopping every few days, and the constant cooking and preparation of our food (which, of course, was completely different). Don’t get me wrong, we had our mood swings and tough times, but we always made it work. We found that fitness brought us closer than we could ever imagine while finding love. 

Both of us stepped on stage in Muscle Beach and were successful, both qualifying for provincials, which meant a whole extra year of dieting together. With this prep brought new challenges. We moved into our first place together, I started a new job, and Lauren was applying for school. Our lives suddenly got even more busy and hectic, but once again we made it through, taking this prep more seriously than ever. Provincials rolled around and we both dove into a fourteen-week prep period together with our coaches Rob and Asha Belisle from Excel Fitness and Nutrition with even more determination than ever.

We were hearing daily how inspiring it was to others to see us push one another as hard as we did at the gym. Lauren and I not only were finding love for each other but also for fitness, but an equally, if not greater, love for eating pizza. We created a combined Instagram account to share workouts and recipes, but more importantly show people that you can live a ‘normal’ life while preparing for a show. We had no idea the response we would get from our page. Ballistics Laboratories, a supplement company from British Columbia, took a liking for Lauren and I. Soon we were Brand Ambassadors for the company. We couldn’t believe it when they invited us to Toronto to be part of the Toronto Pro Fitness competition.  Being around this caliber of athletes really affirmed our love for the sport. 

With the success of our Instagram account and gaining followers and sponsors, we strived and pushed one another even harder through this prep. Not only for ourselves, but also for our followers and our sponsors. We knew the competition was going to be next level at Provincials so we had to be more committed than ever. There was no more little cheat here and there. We stuck to our prep and were both more consistent than our previous preps, preparing and packing our food well in advance, getting all our workouts in, and getting the right amount of sleep every night. Our bodies definitely showed our dedication and we were both more than ready to step on that Provincial stage to show off our hard work. Prep this time around was a lot easier and more organized because we had prepped together the previous year. It was easier from an organizational standpoint, not an emotional one. Prep is never easy for anyone. For us though, prepping together again for Provincials made it an easier decision to step back on the stage. Lauren continued to prep through the summer for Nationals and most recently the International Ben Weider Legacy Cup show here in Edmonton, where she won her class. 

Both Lauren and I plan on competing for a couple more years, with both our eyes on getting our IFBB Pro cards, but fitness will forever be a passion we share. In our off-season we like to golf, go for runs, and we are always looking for fun new ways to stay in shape. 

We continue to connect and are finding love through something that most ‘normal’ couples think is crazy. Although prepping and competing made it difficult at times to connect, our life-long love for fitness and now competing made us perfect for one another. We both understood the sacrifices it takes to be successful in this sport and only someone who has competed can fully understand that.