Home Country and City:
Glen Ellyn, IL USA
Current Country and City:
Glen Ellyn, IL USA
Bio:
I am passionate about helping others achieve their fitness goals and live a healthy and fit life at any age. I discovered fitness after unexpected cardiac surgery and a stent that saved my life. It is a privilege to train with Mark Rosenick at Iron Dragon RTS and in addition to losing over 100 lbs. of body fat, I’ve become a stronger wife and mother for my family and the mental and spiritual transformation will have a lasting impact on my life. I am a NASM Certified personal trainer with Brickhaus Fitness and work with Pride Nutrition and love witnessing others succeed.
I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT HELPING OTHERS ACHIEVE THEIR FITNESS GOALS AND LIVE A HEALTHY AND FIT LIFE AT ANY AGE.
Are you a trainer? If so, what is your training philosophy?
I am a NASM Certified Personal Trainer with Brickhaus Fitness in Wheaton, IL. My training philosophy is to utilize a variety of training techniques and create a well-rounded program unique to each individual based on each person’s goals, abilities, and interests.
Who is your trainer?
Mark Rosenick with Iron Dragon RTS in Wheaton, IL.
What makes him/her so special as a trainer?
In addition to his extensive knowledge and expertise with training and nutrition, Mark is a natural teacher and developer of people and he has a genuine desire to help others grow and achieve their full potential. He taught me to train my mind as hard as I train my body and his eternally optimistic way of thinking has made all the difference in my success.
What was it like stepping on stage this year?
It was an incredible feeling to share the stage with so many inspiring athletes from around the world and being part of the WBFF Transformation Division was extremely rewarding and a wonderful celebration of my journey to a healthier lifestyle.
WARREN IS A TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHER AND I APPRECIATED HIS SENSE OF HUMOR AND HIS SINCERE AND GENUINE STYLE. HE IS VERY PATIENT, AND HIS GUIDANCE AND DIRECTION HELPED ME RELAX AND WARREN CAPTURED BEAUTIFUL IMAGES.
What does it mean to you to compete with?
Competing has been a long-time dream and when I found the WBFF Transformation Division, I knew it was the right place for me. Coming from obesity and heart disease I never imagined I could step on stage and I am grateful the WBFF gave me the opportunity to share my story. The WBFF is a family and I value the strong friendships I have made.
Who are your most inspirational athletes?
I admire all of the athletes for their hard work and dedication and in particular Kerry Green inspires me not only because of her outstanding physique and her beautiful style, but also her kindness and encouraging nature.
Occupation details:
I am a human resources consultant with Noll Human Resource Services, a personal trainer with Brickhaus Fitness and a consultant with Pride Nutrition.
Relationship status:
I have been married to Tim Voss for 25 years and am happy he joined me in the gym and embraces the fitness lifestyle.
Fitness Goals:
My next goal is to compete in the WBFF Figure Diva category in Chicago in 2019! I am part of Iron Dragon’s Warlord Aesthetics program and will work hard to continue to build lean muscle over the next year before the show.
Training Plan:
I train 6 days per week and my current program consists of old-school bodybuilding splits and is focused on hypertrophy. I incorporate a variety of cardio including Zumba, HIIT and steady-state.
Thoughts on HIIt, Power lifting, TRX, Yoga, bodybuilding, other:
I believe they are all useful and should be selected based on each client’s unique goals, abilities and interests.
ALTHOUGH I AM PROUD OF THE PHYSICAL CHANGES I HAVE ACHIEVED, I WILL NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF MY TRANSFORMATION – MY HEALTH.
Nutritional & Supplements:
Pride Nutrition supplements have been instrumental in my success. When it comes to my nutrition program, I believe in eating to fuel my body, rather than thinking of it as a “diet.” I am continually making changes based on my current training, goals and the way my body responds and focus on eating quality foods and a balance of carbs, protein and healthy fats.
Special skills:
Creating delicious meals that fit into our nutrition program; I am creative and enjoy calligraphy and creative projects; gardening and growing my own food
What do your parents mean to you? What did they teach you?
I am very close to my parents and fortunate that they live nearby. They gave me a strong value system and work ethic and taught me to believe in myself and go after my dreams.
What separates Status from other fitness magazines?
I have a special place in my heart for the media business since many of my human resources clients are in the newspaper industry and although I embrace the digital realm, I love that Status Fitness is the only magazine that features WBFF Athletes in print media. Status Fitness produces quality content and I enjoy reading the great fitness and nutrition articles and athlete stories.
What would it mean to you to become the next Status Fitness Cover-model?
It would be an honor to be selected as the next Status Fitness Cover model and a profound way to celebrate my transformation from heart disease and obesity to leading a healthier life.
If you could ask Status Editor-In-Chief, Rodney Jang one question what would that be?
I would be interested to ask Rodney what he feels is the key to helping seniors make fitness a priority and available to everyone as we age.
What was it like working with Warren from Healthy Vision Photography?
Warren is a talented photographer and I appreciated his sense of humor and his sincere and genuine style. He is very patient, and his guidance and direction helped me relax and Warren captured beautiful images.
LET GO OF THE DESIRE FOR PERFECTION AND LOVE YOURSELF, FLAWS AND ALL
6 things people would not know about you:
I didn’t find fitness and lifting until I was 50.
I was the classic yo-yo dieter before losing over 100 lbs. of body fat.
When I was 12 years old I learned Morse code and earned an Amateur Radio license.
I’m usually the shortest person in the room.
I love animals and have a golden retriever, orange cat and a Goffin’s cockatoo.
I love spicy food, bring on the ghost peppers!
Who inspires you?
My husband Tim and my kids, Hannah and Nick are my number one inspiration and the reason I want to be my best self. My coach, Mark Rosenick inspires me to continue growing and improving and I admire his lifelong dedication to making an impact in the lives of others. Many coaches can provide a solid training and nutrition plan and Mark is highly knowledgeable and an expert in the nutrition lab; the difference is his eternally optimistic attitude and ability to help me change my thinking and believe in myself, and he inspires me to build on my unique strengths and achieve my full potential.
Who do you wish to inspire?
I hope to inspire anyone to live their best life and in particular, people who desire to improve their health and fitness and may not believe it is possible after a certain age. Four years ago, I thought weight training was only for “fit people” and I didn’t have the confidence in myself to change until I met Mark Rosenick and he taught me how to believe in myself and improve. I want to inspire people to believe in themselves and live a healthy and fit lifestyle at any age.
Transformation story:
Participating in the WBFF Chicago 2017 Transformation Division was serendipitous in that the date of the show in July marked the 8th anniversary of a birthday weekend I spent in the hospital recovering from an unexpected cardiac procedure and stent that saved my life. I’ll never forget the words my cardiologist, Dr. Patrick Fenner, said to my family while I was in recovery after the surgery… “We need to get Laurie active!”
It took more than 4 years to finally make a significant change and my transformation began in January 2014 when the stars aligned, and I met an incredible personal trainer, Mark Rosenick with Iron Dragon RTS out of Brickhaus Fitness in Wheaton, IL. At 202 lbs. and just under 5’ tall, I was in obese, unhealthy and full of anxiety. Although I was never athletic and lacked the confidence to participate in many fitness activities, Mark taught me how to improve and helped me believe in myself. I started with HIIT classes and weight training. Initially I was embarrassed to ask Mark for personal training – I thought that was only for fit people. Lifting began as a means to an end to lose weight and turned into a passion and is now a huge part of my life. Over the past 4 years Mark helped me lose over 100 lbs. of body fat and improve my health tremendously. Although I am proud of the physical changes I have achieved, I will never lose sight of the most important aspect of my transformation – my health. My cardiologist took me off all the blood pressure and anxiety medications and I am grateful for my health and feel I am a stronger wife and mother for my family. In addition, the mental and spiritual transformation is very rewarding and will have a lasting impact on my life. I loved that Mark approached nutrition as a means to fuel my workouts, rather than thinking of it as another “diet.” I used to be the classic “yo-yo” dieter and after losing and regaining weight many times over my adult life, I finally learned to eat in a way to achieve lasting results. The first 8 months I slowly made changes and lost 20 lbs. Then I entered a body fat competition with Iron Dragon, and when I locked in the nutrition program and combined it with lifting weights, I lost another 34 lbs. in twelve weeks and over the first year and a half I continued to follow the program and was down more than 80 lbs. Since then I’ve worked to continually improve my physique and ultimately lost over 100 lbs. of body fat and decreased my body fat percentage from 38% to 8.2%. Along the way I became more involved in the fitness industry and am proud to work with Pride Nutrition. The Pride supplements have been instrumental to my success and I enjoy helping others optimize their supplement program to make the most of their hard work in the gym. In addition, I became a NASM Certified personal trainer and it is rewarding to share what I have learned with others and witness someone achieve their fitness goals. At one of my first personal training sessions, I remember Mark asking me to look in the mirror at my form as he was teaching me triceps kickbacks. I could barely stand to look at myself and felt humiliated. Mark pulled up a photo on his phone and showed me an image of one of his clients, a young girl hiding her face in her hands because she felt the same way in her overweight body. Then he showed me a photo of her a few years later, on stage at a figure competition and I was inspired by her accomplishment. I never imagined I could step on stage but competing eventually became a goal. I practiced the Competition Prep twice, each time improving my physique and gaining valuable insight about the process. When I learned about the WBFF Transformation Division, I knew immediately it was the right place for my first show! The WBFF is a class act and participating in the Transformation Division in Chicago was an amazing experience. I qualified to attend WBFF Worlds 2018 in Las Vegas and it was an honor to share the stage with the incredible Transformation Models from around the world. I am excited to focus on my next goal of competing in the WBFF Figure Diva category in Chicago in 2019!
WHEN YOU GO THROUGH HARDSHIPS AND DECIDE NOT TO SURRENDER, THAT IS STRENGTH.
Life goals:
To be supportive to my husband and a strong mother to my kids, Hannah and Nick; continue to develop and be successful in my Human Resources career; continue to grow and compete with the WBFF, and to give back and use my NASM Certification to help others live their best lives and achieve their fitness goals.
5 lessons you have learned:
- It is critical to train your mind as hard as you train your body and release negative thoughts;
- Consistency over time with training and nutrition will produce results;
- Surround yourself with like-minded people and ignore criticism from negative people – it says more about them than it does about you and not everyone will approve of your lifestyle and that’s okay;
- Let go of the desire for perfection and love yourself, flaws and all;
- Have fun and trust the process.
Music and artist you listen while training:
My coach introduced me to hip-hop and rap music and artists like Tupac Shakir motivate me in the gym. I love Latin music in Zumba and my cardio playlist is very eclectic and includes pop artists like Fountains of Wayne, Weezer, Pitbull and Lady Gaga.
THE MIND IS THE LIMIT. AS LONG AS THE MIND CAN ENVISION THE FACT THAT YOU CAN DO SOMETHING, YOU CAN DO IT, AS LONG AS YOU REALLY BELIEVE 100 PERCENT.
Favorite actors/ movies:
Harrison Ford; Star Wars is a family tradition on Christmas Day.
Favorite books and authors:
I’m currently reading Do It Scared by Scott Allan and The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger is always on our coffee table.
5 most important attributes you see in a person?
Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, Optimistic, Encouraging
Advice you can give to children who want to start training?
Try a variety of activities and find what you love; seek out a mentor who is an expert in that particular sport or training technique and have fun! Learn everything you can about nutrition and create healthy habits even if it means making different choices than your friends and family.
Favorite Quotes:
My favorite three are by Arnold!
“The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
“Positive thinking can be contagious. Being surrounded by winners helps you develop into a winner.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
