11Fitness has always been a big part of Semanoff's life, especially after marrying her husband, Mike, 10 years ago. Together the couple made the most of their time, out either rock climbing, biking, hiking or doing yoga, something Mike first introduced to his wife and which she now teaches.
Along with all that the couple trained with weights regularly to help them improve in their other endeavors.
It didn't take long before Semanoff began enjoying the great improvements in strength and muscle tone she saw in herself.
Then while vacationing in California with plans to visit Disneyland, the couple came across a flyer for a fitness expo and decided to pay a visit. While there they signed up at a booth looking for "fittest couple" entrants not prepared for the phone call they soon received telling them they were finalists. With very little time the two raced to Target to buy swimsuits, razors and fake-tanning oils while putting in a phone call to Mike's brother who had competed in bodybuilding in the past. After a quick lesson over the phone on how they should pose the couple found themselves up on stage with 10 other couples and soon landed Semanoff's first competition win.
Having enjoyed that first experience immensely, Semanoff went on to train and compete in numerous figure competitions, ("like a beauty pageant with muscles" as she calls it), and each and every time, whether placing first or last, she felt like a winner. Being surrounded by fellow, like-minded competitors, all having reached personal goals to get to that same stage by overcoming various challenges with much hard work was nothing but inspiring.
While the training and strict dieting was tough, it was something that Semanoff grew used to over time and soon enjoyed. It wasn't until she became pregnant with her first child that things became more challenging.
"Your body just changes, you're taking care of other things," Semanoff said, thinking back. "It gave me a goal because I knew where I had been once in my life and I knew I could be stronger."
Throughout her first pregnancy Semanoff continued to train and watch her diet, then, shortly after giving birth to her first son, she signed up for another figure competition. For her, this was the biggest possible motivator she could think of.
"Especially when you're going to go on a stage in a bikini in front of hundreds of people!" she laughed.
Semanoff ended up taking fourth place at the NPC USA Figure Championships in Las Vegas and placed 16th in the same competition when she competed again after her second child, a daughter. Each time the contest worked as a great motivator, pushing her to train hard and regain the physique she once had if not improve it. Now she admits, however, that she wasn't balancing her life as well as she could have, admitting she was too concerned about where she was going rather than enjoying the experience of pregnancy.
"With this last pregnancy I actually really enjoyed being pregnant because I embraced the moment and it became this amazing thing for me. I wasn't looking forward, way ahead, wondering what's going to happen to my body," she said, referring to her third and youngest child.
This time around her sister Tiffany Heugly was training for the same contest after giving birth to her first child and the sisters motivated each other to do their best. By this point Semanoff had worked out a good routine for training, (one she still enjoys), training daily at her gym which has a daycare, providing her with much needed time to herself.
"All these times I've been competing and having kids it's about finding this balance in life. So finally when I got to my third I found I could balance it all out so everything was enjoyable," she said.
This time around Semanoff constantly reminded herself that she was choosing to do it, not allowing herself to ever get too serious about the training. This allowed her to enjoy the experience much more. The competition also provided the sisters with another great benefit -- the rare opportunity to get dressed up and show off all of their hard work in the gym.
"When you compete it gives you the opportunity to show off your hard work. ... It gives us a chance to lean out, put on a suit, get our hair and makeup done and then show off our hard work. And being a mom that's fun, because you hardly ever get the chance to go out," said Tiffany Heugly, while remembering the experience with her sister.
After Semanoff's win at the Iron Man Magazine Naturally Championships, (her sister also took home the first-place trophy for her division), she took a break from competing to relax and focus solely on enjoying motherhood. Even still, she's an inspiration to many and helps those who come to her reach their fitness goals while balancing their lifestyle. Whether working with an individual client who wants to reach a modest fitness goal, or teaching yoga at a local studio, Semanoff is a constant source of encouragement and inspiration.
"Stop looking at everything you say you can't do and looking at yourself in a negative way. Start looking at what you can do and the positive aspects of your life. Even just doing that begins to build more confidence and gives more energy," Semanoff said.
For now it might only be her children on the receiving end of her inspiring words, (all of them still too young to understand their mother's fitness success), as Semanoff dedicates the majority of her time to them. Yet she still gets in her time at the gym and still watches what she eats, (occasionally allowing herself half a pizza, two donuts and a chai tea latte). The trophies are stored away somewhere at her parents house and the photographs are given the occasional glance, but who knows?
"Maybe I'll get the bug, wake up in the morning and think, 'I have to do a show.' " Semanoff laughed.
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