My Story!

 It is a pleasure to “meet” you. My name is Amy Gaskins and I am a 52 year old Mother of two and Grandmother to three. My journey is one not unlike many others but unique in its own way.

ANOREXIA! From the age of 19 I suffered from anorexia until I sought help in 2005 via inpatient therapy at a facility here in Florida. Not only did the inpatient facility save my life but it also changed my life. I learned that I could transition the same emotional thoughts and fears from anorexia into a healthy lifestyle via fitness. And so began my journey into the fitness World.

GETTING STARTED. Please keep in mind that I came from a 30-year career in hair and make-up, so this was all new to me. I started like many others simply pulling and pushing what I could. I still remember to this day my first dumbbell curls were with 2.5 pounds. I slowly got more and more into it and saw my body slowly responding to the positive changes I was making. I had never drank water and started downing a gallon a day. They were all slow changes and slow progresses, but it was progress nonetheless. Rome was not built in a day you know. As my body started to transform I did more and more research into my health and fitness than ever before and discovered an entire new World where MY wellness was paramount. This was exciting news for me, and I dove in headfirst and never looked back. As I was working out more and eating more, I wanted to take things to the next level, so I started researching fitness competitions.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS. So many divisions and so many federations. Where do I start? Facebook groups were my go-to in the beginning, so I joined several and started asking questions. The first thing every single person said was, “You need a coach”. This made a lot of sense to me as I was new to the industry and still did not know enough to wade through it all by myself; so I was all-in on getting myself a coach. Now, who do I hire as a coach. I have learned in the past on other things that more expensive does NOT mean better, so I took that mentality into my initial coaching hunt. There were men, women, younger people, older people. People local, people afar. Who in the hell do I choose? Please see my section on “How to choose the right coach for you”. After deciding to start in the Fitness America Pageant (FAP) I selected a coach and decided on when/where my first competition would be.

COMPETITIONS (3). I decided to jump into the deep end of the fitness pool and compete in my first show in the Fitness Universe Pageant in Miami, Florida. Over 500 athletes in sports model, bodybuilding, fitness, bikini, and figure divisions were there. I competed with women from all over the World. I remember there were athletes from Europe, Asia, South America and Africa and I can tell you that I was intimidated with it being my first show. Just in my division alone there were close to 40 ladies that I competed against. I finished middle of the pack with having learned A LOT of lessons of where I wanted to be as a bikini athlete. On to the next show….Fitness America in Las Vegas. Yet another large show, but I was hooked so on to Vegas I went. After this second show I felt I looked better and know I felt better, but still middle of the pack in results. After that show I really did some reflecting on what Federation I wanted to compete in and took a short break from competing. In 2015 I decided to leave FAP and participate in National Physique Committee (NPC). The reasons for this were various which I am always open to discussing. I switched coaches as this Federation was built more on how your body looked rather than a “performance”. I ended up destroying my hormones preparing for this show as my knowledge about the industry was still in its infancy and I erred in selecting the correct coach for me. That was when my fuse was lit and my endless thirst for fitness knowledge began.

COACHING. Since 2015 I have literally dedicated my life to gaining the knowledge that I need to repair my hormones and help others live a healthy and fit lifestyle. Not only to compete, but as an everyday standard to respecting your body and keeping it healthy. This is what I want to share with each of you!

Make friends in the industry!!