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The Out Women Behind Body Build Her on Self-Love and Personal Health

Meet the ladies of BodyBuildHer.com, an all-inclusive motivational website for ladies who want to get fit. Body Build Her empowers you to approach fitness and wellbeing in a different perspective. I really like that this site encompasses the physical, emotional, and spiritual side of working out. Talking to these women was so inspirational and I can’t wait for you to read what they had to say.

AfterEllen.com Who are you and what do you do?

Angela Simone: I am Angela Simone, a 42-year-old woman who stepped out of the classroom after more than a decade as a 5th and 6th grade teacher to chase my dream. I am a Certified Personal Trainer currently serving West Hollywood, and view what I do as an art form. My kind of training focuses keenly on sculpting the natural physique to its greatest potential through a combination of weight training, cardiovascular exercise, and proper nutrition. I am also a Pro Natural Bodybuilder who is involved with the Women’s Bodybuilding Coalition, which seeks to promote natural female bodybuilders with an emphasis on feminine muscularity.

Margaret Carrero: I’m Margaret Carrero, a writer at heart, a reporter by profession, and a woman by nature who overcame obesity.

AE: How long have you been doing this?

AS: I’ve been a certified personal trainer for the past three years, but working out has been a way of life since I was 14 years old.

MC: I’ve been writing since I was little. I’ve been on my journey of love, health, and fitness for more than 20 years.

AE: What is Body Build Her?

AS: Body Build Her is our labor of love; it’s our token of love for all women, to encourage women to be strong and not afraid to build muscle and carve up their physique. The confidence you will build will be priceless!

Body Build Her, the website, is a place where women can come to be inspired, empowered, and educated about health, fitness, and nutrition based on our combined professional and personal life experiences.

AE: What is your typical day like?

AS: I get up around 4:45AM to train my first client at 6AM and usually finish up by noon. Then I’m off to train myself before shifting the focus to cooking a nice dinner, reading up on current literature about health and fitness or training evening clients. It’s very basic but the routine allows for a clear reflection on my own health, which is ultimately number one.

MC: I get up at 2AM, so it’s pretty basic. Get some morning writing done with a cup of coffee and some breakfast after a shower, then it’s off to work until noon or 1 pm. I meet Angie for a nice workout, then we’re home and cooking dinner, preparing for the next day.

AE: What was your first competition like? How were your nerves?

AS: My first competition came when I had a very challenging class one year with extreme obstacles to overcome which required a huge part of myself mentally, emotionally, and physically. I needed something for Angie. I felt like I was giving so much to everyone that there was nothing left for myself at the end of the day. I was already working out at the time after work but I needed a challenge, something more for myself! I was trying to find a balance between the challenges I was facing as a schoolteacher and the challenges and goals I was setting for myself in my personal life. So, I decided to enter a bodybuilding show in Fresno called the Fresno Classic.

At the time, I was training with a trainer and other people from the gym encouraged me to do it. It was the biggest challenge, which felt like a part time job after my full time job was over. The competition was intense! I placed first in my class and won first place overall! I was hooked after that. My nerves were fragile being that it was my first show but knowing that I worked harder than anyone on stage gave me the confidence to show everyone including myself what hard work can do!

MC: It was the most amazing feeling in the world! Day of show I weighed in at 135 pounds, and for me that was an astronomical accomplishment. I remember being over 200 pounds and overwhelmed by the amount of work I knew it would take to turn things around and lose the weight I’d gained. To this day, I am still a work in progress. I don’t remember having any real nerves. I was too excited about how far I’d come. I was ready to get out there and show the world!

AE: What does your typical diet look like?

AS: I usually eat four whole eggs with a cup of black beans for breakfast. Around mid-morning I’ll eat chia seeds with 3/4 cups of blueberries and just over a cup of unsweetened almond milk. For lunch I’ll have a shake with some flax powder. Dinner usually consists of some type of fish or chicken with sweet potatoes or quinoa and whatever veggie sounds good. I love spinach, broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts and avocados.

MC: For breakfast, I’ve been eating four whole eggs, scrambled, lately. For a snack, I’ll pack a chia milk (just over a cup of unsweetened almond milk, ¾ cups blueberries, 2 TBSP chia seeds, a squeeze of agave, shake and let sit in fridge overnight). Lunch is usually a salad with black beans for protein along with my gallon of water. For dinner, a piece of fish or chicken with some veggies (sometimes only veggies) and a good carb. I really love spinach, brussels sprouts, asparagus, avocados, sweet potato fries, black rice, and quinoa burgers, just to name a few. Other snacks might include a handful of almonds or some fruit, occasionally a protein shake or bar.

AE: What’s your favorite workout? Do you mind giving an example?

AS: It’s being fully present with mind-muscle connection in any workout, really, but if I had to choose a favorite it would be walking lunges. Walking lunges force you to be present because you have to be mindful of every step or risk hurting yourself. Once a week, I typically do 1500 lunge steps (which takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes) or 15 sets of 100 walking lunges. The results are amazing! There is nothing better for working the entire leg and helping to both trim and tone all the areas women are notoriously trying to trim and tone! I like mixing up my leg days (two a week): One day walking lunges. then mid-week 5×20 deadlifts, squats, hack squats and ham curls.

MC: I also love the LoL’s, though they are no laughing matter! I call them our Laps of Lunges because we do each set in a lap around the patio inside our complex. I enjoy it for the same reasons. Seeing my legs trim down has been a great joy in recent years. I also love squats and deadlifts. By far, my favorite cardio is swimming!

AE: Do you take on clients and train others?

AS: Yes. I take on any one who is willing to commit to their training, resulting in change. I like to build consistency so my clients can see progress. That’s always exciting to witness.

AE: How do I get your abs?

AS: Once I clean up my diet, my abs usually start to show definition and that’s always exciting. I always try to do some sort of flexion and extension with my abs as part of each workout. One day I’ll do leg taps against a flat wall where my legs are literally vertical in the air at a 90 degree angle. I’ll superset that with crunches off a gym ball. Another day I’ll do incline crunches where I only lift my upper body at about 30 degrees and do crunches really focusing on my breathing. I’ll superset the incline crunches with preacher kicks. As long as my diet is messy, I can do all the ab work in the world but I will not have a six-pack if I’m not clean with my diet.

MC: I agree with Angie 100 percent. My abs came out when I was doing 400 crunches a day while training for a bodybuilding show. I split them up into four sets of 25. Mixing incline crunches with incline leg lifts to hit the lower section and incorporating oblique work to trim the sides.

AE: I loved that you talk about water on your website. When I started to focus in on my diet, I had no clue that I wasn’t drinking enough water! Can you talk about the importance of water? I feel like a lot of women over look that and think that Gatorade and sports drinks are the same as water.

AS: Water is essential for living and should be a staple in anyone’s diet! Our bodies are made up of about 70 percent water and let’s say for example, you do cardio for an hour, and then decide to go for a sweat in the sauna. If you don’t replenish the water your body sweat out, you risk harming your blood, brains, and muscle.

MC: Before water became my drink of choice, I also wasn’t eating as many vegetables as I am today, so adding more veggies into your diet is another way to boost your water intake.

Water is like magic. It is essential for living and should naturally be a staple in anyone’s diet but it is amazing how many people don’t drink enough! I was one of those people. I used to drink anything but water, and only realized after the fact that not drinking enough water only added to my weight.

When you deprive your body of water, like a camel, it retains it for when it needs it. The opposite happens when you drink an adequate amount of water; your body releases the excess. If you’ve ever had cellulite on your thighs, hear me, drink more water! The things that cause cellulite—a diet high in fats and salt and a limited amount of water—can be remedied by taking in more water!

Our bodies are made up of about 70 percent water and on an average day without any extra exercise, we burn about 10 cups of water a day.

AE: Have you ever struggled with your weight or had body issues?

MC: Since I was young. It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties that I finally realized that I was the only one who could make the changes that would reverse course and lose weight. I had allowed my weight to get out of control, and only I could reign it back in.

AE: How did you overcome them?

MC: I overcame by making up my mind that I was worthy enough. I was worth the sacrifice of giving up the yummy foods I knew packed on the pounds. I was worth the extra effort it takes getting to the gym and getting a good workout every day. I was worth the time it takes to cook and create healthy meals at home rather than always paying someone else to cook for you—on the outside. I still have days when life becomes challenging, but I always manage to get through it. I move on to the next day where I do my best all over again.

AE: What inspired you to do body building/ body sculpting?

AS: I’ve always been fascinated with muscular physiques and always wanted to see how far I could push myself to get the same look. I remember memorizing all the muscles of the body as a young child and was always flexing in front of the mirror partly because it drove my sister crazy and partly because I loved to see my muscles as I flexed them. I always gravitated towards television shows that portrayed strong characters such as Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman (loved how she could bend iron), The Incredible Hulk (amazing how he transformed into a muscle bearing beast, ripping his clothes in the midst of it all) and, of course, Charlie’s Angels.

MC: I grew up with bodybuilding brothers, but never got into it for myself until later in high school. I found I enjoyed the feeling of lifting weights. I trained during high school but never to the extent of competing in a show until after my little brother died of cancer. He was my inspiration. I told him I would do it and I did.

AE: What are the main differences, if any, of body building/ body sculpting?

AS: I look at bodybuilding as trying to pack on lean muscle with compound movements such as presses and squats. Body sculpting is really fine tuning the muscle, incorporating more cable work, pausing more at the top of the motion and sculpting the beautiful muscle that you have worked so hard to build through proper nutrition, cardio and lots of water.

AE: Have you ever felt discriminated at a gym or competition because you are a woman? Have either of you ever had a man try to intimidate you off of a piece of workout equipment?

AS: I always feel at home when I go to the gym. I’ve been a member of a gym in one form or another since I was 14. I have never felt discriminated against luckily so far in my lifetime. I walk in knowing that I belong there as much as everyone else. I am an artist of my own body and I am on a mission. I go in with a plan in my head and we are all there trying to do the same thing, so if some guy is trying to intimidate me because I am a woman, then that’s his own ego screaming fear!

M: In my early twenties, I remember feeling intimidated to step foot inside a gym because I had allowed my weight to get out of control. I know now that it was all in my head. I needed to recognize that I had every right to be there working on improving my health as everyone else. So, I took one step at a time until I reached one goal after another, and I cannot properly express how grateful I am today that I made up my mind back then to commit to treating myself with love in mind, heart, body, and spirit.

AE: When we talked the other day, you told me the main piece of advice you give to clients is to take one thing and cut it out of their diet. For me, that was beer. Is it really that simple? Is that a building block you use to help people cut out other things from their diet?

AS: I believe that baby steps and consistency are key to making a lifestyle change a permanent one. The goal is to be successful and I’ve seen so many people get super excited about starting a fitness program so they clean EVERYTHING out of their kitchen cabinets and then a feeling of deprivation surfaces and then it’s all or nothing so most people fall off and completely go crazy with the over indulgence of their particular vices. I say to slow down and take baby steps. Pick only one thing that you know you can cut out like sugar, alcohol, bread, butter, and whatever else. Once you have done that, a feeling of success will emerge and after a few weeks you may want to focus on cutting back or taking out something else that you know is keeping you from reaching your fitness goal.

MC: Angie explained it beautifully! I must say, she has taught me so much about what a clean and healthy diet can look like and how to make it taste remarkable! She’s also shown me how delicious a vegetable can be when it is prepared as close to its natural state as possible-without a lot of added spices. If you can grow your own vegetables, all the better! She taught me that too.

AE: What was your “one thing” that you cut out of your diet?

AS: The one thing that I always start with when I want to get that six pack back is beer. I love the taste of a good IPA but if I’m getting ready for a show, I know that if I kinda cheat, I’ll kinda not get the results I want!

MC: Ditto, plus the occasional pizza. I’m from New York.

AE: I really loved the Peter Rubio quote on the back of the card: “Sculpting the figure can be a gateway to self-awareness, discovery, expression.” Can you tell me what this means to you, and what discoveries you have made?

AS: Sculpting the body is a way for me to uncover some of the walls that weren’t allowing me to feel sexy, alive, social, healthy, and truly happy! Once I started to get in shape I felt more creative mentally, and therefore I wanted to wear different clothes, hats, and tank tops to show off my guns. It reminded me of when I was a child. Free and light, full of curiosity because my self-confidence improved. Once I started to feel strong I realized that this is who I am, a strong woman who walks with her head high and who is unafraid to express who she really is; and one way she expresses herself is by what she wears. Feeling that, I am now excited to wear off the wall clothes, sexy or not, I am comfortable in my skin because I sculpted this body with lots of love!

MC: I know that I’ve discovered even more of my inner strength by training my physical strength. For me, a good workout has become akin to a good meditation. Angie’s guidance of connecting the mind to the muscle is always a reminder to remain present, in the moment, with each movement. It’s given me a far greater respect and reverence for the daily practice. The goal should always be to move the muscle, not the weight. Who cares how MUCH you lift if you’re not lifting correctly or preoccupied with a text. I find myself admiring the hard work I’ve put in to create tighter more defined biceps and triceps, and the trimming down of my legs has also been a joyous ride and experience. I feel more confident every day I make the choice to get in that workout—no matter how tired I may feel—I am always energized and revived afterwards.

AE: Your mission statement is awesome! Can you talk a little more about what this means to you and how this statement came about?

Body Build Her is…

…about encouraging women to tap their inner strength and express it outward

…the belief that consistency is key; in diet, exercise, and above all love for self

… a way of life.

AS: Encouraging women to tap their inner strength means to guide women to their maximum capacity with weight training, nutrition and cardiovascular exercise. Weight training requires mental concentration so you don’t injure yourself. If there are dumbbells that I am trying to press that are of my maximum weight, my mind must be 100% connected and that strength will express itself outward with the completion of the press. Nutrition is completely 100% mental and if you have the inward strength, that expression outwardly would be a beautiful physique! Cardiovascular exercise requires inward strength because who really likes to do cardio every day? Consistency is the secret because your body adapts and becomes a machine with time and isn’t that what everyone wants? If you love yourself, then all of the above will become a way of life! It is not being selfish to give yourself time every day to take care of you! I know that those around me will always benefit if I show love for myself first always!

MC: The path to true health, fitness, and well being for me began within, there is no other way to put it. I had to do the work to truly find real, authentic love for myself; that’s when the real journey began.

Why do I say “love for myself”? I say it because when I was eating unhealthy, drinking too much, and not working out, I felt miserable and was not showing love to myself. Showing love to yourself means wanting yourself to feel GOOD. Hangovers and being overweight did NOT feel good.

There were underlying emotional reasons behind why I ate and drank and got lazy. I had to dig deep to get to the bottom of it, but once I did I emerged more empathetic toward others and myself. I cleared out the weeds and Love took root.

From that point on, I committed to doing something every day to make myself healthier.

AE: This statement really put into words what I have been trying to say: “woman’s strength has long been viewed as more emotional and spiritual while a man’s strength has been viewed as more mental and physical. Body Build Her is here to bring forth some balance. ” This is such a strong and true statement! How did y’all find your balance? Is there ever a time where finding a balance is harder than others?

AS/MC: We know it sounds boring, but we’re at our best and balanced when we’re following a routine of cooking good meals, working out every day, and getting a good night’s sleep. All of which adds up to overall balance for us when it comes to our health and well being. Don’t get me wrong. There are days when life gets the best of us, as it does all of us, and so we indulge from time to time but we don’t beat ourselves up about it anymore.

AE: Reading Margaret’s statement was like looking into a mirror! I am so glad that you shared this: “My early twenties were spent out and about drinking and looking for love (in all the wrong places—it’s true what they say) until finally, I lost count. I refused to step on a scale because I didn’t want to know. I knew deep down I had let myself go and I knew that I was the only one who could do something to change it.”

MC: That really says it all! Which is why I keep talking about “loving myself.” It all starts there. There was a time I hated who I had become. I knew I let my weight get out of control because quite frankly it was easier than doing the work of cleaning up and exercising, and the only way out was through love.

AE: I know a lot of women who are struggling with their weight and have put this struggle on to other people or to outside situations. What was your biggest obstacle? How did you get past the “dark days” and what did you do to get over the weight loss plateau?

MC: My biggest obstacle was and to this day remains—I love food! I cannot lie! I got myself through the dark days because I was seeing results, and when I began to plateau, I had to remind myself that I was not “on a diet.” I was on a journey. A new life journey of love for myself, expressed by eating healthier, drinking more water, and exercising. True health and wellness requires a lifelong commitment.

AE: I really connected with this statement: “My love for pumping iron began with a fascination of the Bionic Woman, Lindsay Wagner, remember her? Mine was a fascination with human strength; the Incredible Hulk, the Bionic Woman, the idea of challenging the human body.” When was the first time you noticed significant changes in your body?

AS: When I was preparing for my first bodybuilding show I remember my abs coming in and I couldn’t keep my composure whenever I went in front of the mirror. I wanted to keep lifting up my shirt. I was so proud of myself because I was getting up before work and doing cardio on an empty stomach before work and then coming back in the evening to do weights. I knew I cleaned my diet up as well so I guess I couldn’t be too shocked knowing that I put in tons of time and effort but it still was surreal to see my body transforming. It made me realize then that we have more control over our body than we realize.

MC: I’ve noticed the most significant changes in my body within the past three years. I’ve been on the path of consistency for the better part of 20 years and more committedly, over the past decade. I love feeling strong and feeling the muscles in my arms when I’m just moving around, not necessarily flexing.

AE: I recently saw shoulder fibers for the first time and freaked out! I kept moving my arm and watching the muscle move and wanted to show everyone. What was it like for you looking over and seeing the first growth in the muscle or muscle group that you had been working on? Was it like Christmas?

AS: It was like Christmas when I was training for my first bodybuilding competition. I hadn’t realized until I embarked on that journey just how important the diet was. Once I got consistent, my body began to transform rapidly, burning fat like a furnace! That was awesome!

MC: It was the most amazing feeling in the world! Especially having come so far and worked so hard to get myself in shape.

AE: I feel like our culture is very “ab” based, so I have to ask: What was it like when you got your first six-pack? Did you show it off 24/7? I feel like I would never be wearing a shirt.

AS: I felt amazing, sexy, androgynous, feminine, and all of the above!

MC: Oh my goodness! I was elated! When I was overweight, my older brother John used to tell me, “You’re like Ragu. It’s in there!” I saw my first six pack emerge when I trained to compete in John’s natural bodybuilding show as a tribute to our younger brother, Larry, who died from a brain tumor. I was like Angie, couldn’t help but want to pull up my shirt around a mirror!

AE: Was there ever a catalyst in life that motivated you to do body building or to change your life? Do you mind talking about it?

AS: I remember there was a period where I stopped working out when I was with my ex-girlfriend. We were together for nine years and I became comfortable in the relationship by just focusing on work and nothing else. I sort of lost who I was as a woman and felt like I was no longer authentic. We lived in this bubble where we were open to our family about being gay but now so much in public. I didn’t feel authentic like I feel today. After an emotional breakup I started to slowly come back to myself and little by little got back into the gym. It was either do that or come home after an exhausting day and drink.

MC: First, it was a nasty breakup that really awakened me to the absolute need to love myself. I needed to be able to look myself in the mirror and see my beauty. I hadn’t been doing that at that time. The last was Larry. Losing him to such a horrendous disease has been a major catalyst in keeping me consistent. I live life as fully as I can, in his honor. Being healthy is a tribute to him.

AE: Are there any particular moments of joy that stick out in your mind when you look back on your fitness journey?

AS: The greatest joy is the people that I have come in contact with who have the same passion about fitness as I do. It doesn’t matter where I go, If I can find a gym to work out in, I find that the people are of like mind who are there for the same purpose. I remember going to New York with Margaret to visit her family and we worked out in Brooklyn for a week. I walked in like I belong there and the people were super embracing to me. Only at the gym do I get this kind of joy. I love meeting people who have questions to ask me, I love striking up conversations about fitness and I truly believe that I am placed here to be a source of help to all those who need it.

MC: The greatest joy has been realizing that all things really are possible. You just have to set your mind to it and go after it.

Visit BodyBuildHer.com for more on Angela and Margaret.

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