Stacey O’Malley

Hi! My name is Stacey O’Malley, I’m 26 and live in Brisbane. I am currently working as a Qantas Flight Attendant, have completed a Journalism degree, and am now completing my cert 3 and 4 in Personal Training to begin part time work at my local gym (where I also train).

I am also in the process of building my own Personal Training business, OzBod Health and Fitness.

2012 has marked the start of a VERY big year. I got married in January then competed in my first ever Fitness Model Competitions with INBA and ANB. I have always been physically active from a young age, growing up as a dancer and golf caddie for my Dad.

As I got older, I joined the gym and always loved working out, mainly cardio, participating in a number of fun runs and half marathons.

Unfortunately, I have always struggled with my weight as I LOVE my food and found myself constantly yo-yoing 5-6kgs depending on certain events I had coming up. I always carried a lot of my weight around my midsection and found I could never break below 60kgs.

It wasn’t until I started researching different workout programs online in the lead up to my wedding last year that I found my calling. I started doing Jamie Eason’s LiveFit 12 week free online program which focused on weight training with minimal cardio (something I had never really done before). It also had me eating a lot of clean food and cooking in bulk to save time which helped with my shift work.

Nutrition had always been the area I struggled with, but now it had FINALLY clicked for me. I toned up relatively fast and felt amazing on my wedding day. Through an online facebook group dedicated to Jamie’s program, I got the bug to compete.

I had always wanted to compete but knew it cost a lot of money for training/nutrition programs which I simply could not afford. It was by chance that I bumped into an ex-figure competitor at my local beauty salon who offered to guide me through the process.

I did my own weight training and she offered me advice on nutrition, backstage prep, and took my measurements (skinfolds) every week to keep me on track. I also attended some free posing workshops which helped me considerably on the day of comp. I took to the stage at 50kgs and 8% bodyfat so I had reached all my goals. I entered my first ever Fitness Model division in INBA where I placed fourth out of 14 girls! I was so shocked!

All my hard work had paid off and I felt amazing! 2 weeks later I entered the ANB Asia Pacific Fitness Model Championships competing against 50 of the best. What an experience! I will be competing again in October at the Brisbane Health and Fitness Expo and have a few photo shoots lined up in September to get my Fitness Model portfolio up and running.

I created my Facebook page, OzBod Health and Fitness, to share my journey and help motivate and inspire others. Through this page I have met an amazing bunch of people who inspire me as much as I inspire them. It’s nice to know I am somehow helping others on their own path. I am also honest about my struggles in getting where I am now and the obstacles I had to overcome.

Being a shift worker is extremely tough on my routine and I am away a lot so have to be constantly prepared. But it is all part of the journey and I’ve learnt that if you want something bad enough and keep your goals in mind, you can achieve anything. I am so passionate about helping others become fit and healthy and this is why I am completing my Personal Training certificates and can’t wait to get my business up and running.

I also plan on completing a nutrition course so I can provide nutrition plans to my clients, and want to eventually specialise in Competition Prep programs on the side as I know there are so many people who would love to compete but simply can’t afford the programs on offer at the moment.

I created my Facebook page

This has been an amazing journey for me so far and I love that I have finally found my passion in life. I can’t wait to see what 2013 holds for me and OzBod Health and Fitness.

Thank you for letting me share my own journey and I hope to keep motivating others in theirs.