Claire Morgan

If you had told me 3 years ago that I would be a competitive fitness model with a lifestyle that revolved around training heavy weights and clean eating I would have laughed at you.

My story is a little different to many sports models, who often have a very athletic background and have been heavily involved in sports of some kind for many years.

Although I danced once a week from a young age and participated in various sports in my youth, I grew up in a very academically focused family and achieving at school was my priority.

The Beginning:

I signed up for my first gym membership when I started University, but only went a couple of times a week and stuck mainly to the usual cardio machines. Again, health and fitness was not my number one focus.

In my third year at University (2009) I acknowledged that I really wasn’t getting the results I wanted and needed a new direction and goal. When I heard about fitness modelling I was curious. I attended Deanne Murphy’s Pro Model Workshop in Sydney, and went to see a competition the following week. I decided preparing for a competition was the motivation I needed. I started training for my very first show involving a combination of heavy weights 5 days per week and moderate cardio, and have been training ever since.

Work in Progress:

While I have always had a fairly slim build, I had no muscle tone or definition. I built my body from scratch and had never trained with weights before 2009.

I constantly strive to improve my physique and see my body as a work in progress. I am passionate about achieving results in the healthiest way possible and a balanced approach to nutrition.

I am constantly experimenting with new foods to see what works best for my body and find this process really enjoyable.

Achievements:

I have now competed in numerous sports model competitions. My most recent achievements include competing at the 2010 and 2011 WNBF ‘Best Body Swimsuit’ World Championships in New York. I was also the INBA Sydney Overall Sports Model Champion for 2011.

I have had the opportunity to do numerous photo shoots and be featured in magazines both in Australia and internationally. These have included Oxygen, Natural Bodz, Best Body and Muscle Sport Mag. To be a poster girl for natural, fit, Australian women and inspiring others to choose this lifestyle is very rewarding for me.

‘A strong body is the expression of a strong mind’:

This is my personal motto- staying in shape is as much about the mental as well as the physical.

While it’s your body that does the hard work, it is your mind that gets you off the couch and into the gym, and gets you through those last tough couple of reps.

This motto helped me especially when I first started training, as I didn’t really see myself as being physically strong and capable of performing weights training. However I have always believed in my mental determination and strength, which helped me achieve great results at school and other aspects of my life.

The future:

My ambition is to be a successful fitness model and brand ambassador for health products and services I believe in. I have established a business as a communications specialist and freelance writer for the health and fitness industry and strive to develop this further in the coming year.

I am also excited to be studying my personal training certificates. I believe this will help me take my training to the next level and I look forward to assisting others in reaching their goals.