My Work Family

I am a lucky girl in many aspects of my life,  I recognize and truly appreciate that.....one of these aspects is my career. As an Account Manager for a Supplement company I get to combine my love of health and fitness with selling top quality supplements that I believe in. I have been with my company for 7 years now,  they are my extended family who I spend many hours a day in phone and email contact with. Once a year we all get together at our annual sales conference and spend 3-4 days together going over new products, previous years sales, new selling ideas, sharing on the road experiences, learning about new products, getting motivated,and we also manage to get some great laughs in there too. I have always heard if you find a job you love it does not feel like work....now sometimes this is a very time consuming job, I work 7 days a week, I am 100% commision  so my whole income relies on my ability to provide excellent customer service, have a strong presence in my stores both personally and with my products, and to use my creativity for new sales ideas. 
For 5 years my brothers and I owned and operated a pert store in Toronto, I loved being an entrepreneur and it is such hard work. I respect how much work and dedication it takes to run a small business, what I really love about my job is I have the ability to live vicariously through my stores. I think what I would have wanted for my business and my expectations for a rep and try my hardest to provide that....so as I return from this years sales conference I m excited for the new ideas I will be able to give to my stores ....

For more on my diet and training please goto:

www.sdpharmaceuticals.com

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@AeryonAshlie

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Aeryon Bela Ashlie

Nationals 2013

Well 2013 Nationals are now over, it was a very gruelling show prep filled with a ton of hard work and dedication. I really learned to draw deep within myself, to see my own personal strength and determination to accomplish my goal. I must say that is the one thing I love about competing....this is my journey...I am the only one accountable, my choice to wake up, do the cardio, lift the weights, prep the food. As in life you get what you put into it, I believe this is my best package I have ever brought to stage, looking at my photo shoots I could see the difference between last years shows, the 2013 Arnold's and this years Nationals. I had improved my legs and glutes brought in a rounder 
my shoulders, my waist was tighter. I changed my whole pose, switched sides and tried fo create more of an illusion of a smaller waist. Also I had sparkled my whole suit myself paying attention to every detail, matching my nails to the crystals on my suits, hair and makeup. I really wanted to feel at the end of the day that I had given it my all.
With bikini however you never know what the judges are looking for, it is a confusing sport that way, there seems to be no standard guideline, are the looking for conditioned, soft, curvy, muscular? Every show seems different and every judging panel has a different idea as to what their perception of "Bikini" looks like. 
So not only is this sport a mental game with the prep but also with the show itself,  at the end of the day all you can do is bring your best package and wait and hope that that is what they are looking for in that show. If not you have to find peace with the fact you gave 150% no should have's, would have's, could have's.......then look at the pictures, get their feedback.....and go back to the training drawing board.....

For more on my diet and training visit:

www.sdpharmaceuticals.com

follow me on twitter:

@AeryonAshlie

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Aeryon Bela Ashlie

My Love...My Support...My Rock

I wanted to take this blog to thank my Boyfriend and Love..... Scott. This show prep has not been easy on him, going to bed alone (I'm passed out already) and waking up every morning alone (I'm on the treadmill) is a sacrifice he makes among many to support my dream. He has been the voice of reason when the scale is not moving, my best friend listening to countless ideas about my suit, hair, makeup, my private coach giving me advice on my posing, and the arms that hold me when I am having an emotional day. I am so thankful to have this man in my corner for love and support, I wanted him to know how special he is to me and how much I appreciate all that he does on a day to day basis. I am so blessed to have his heart, his love, patience, encouragement, devotion the list goes on and on....
Thank you babe for loving me the way you do....I love you...

2013 Nationals

Well...This is it, day before 2013 Nationals, I have given 150% for this show and I believe this is the best package I have ever brought to stage. I depleted carbs for 3 days from Monday till Wed so protein and fibrous carbs only needless to say I was exhausted. I had 2 photo shoot and 6 video shoots to do in that time plus training, working and my 5 year old.....I made it through!!!
As I did my last cardio session yesterday morning on the rotating stairs I broke down in the end....I always find it emotional when I am done show prep,  this sport is such a mind game and essentially all up to me,  either I do it or I don't, there is no blame. Noone is there holding my hand making me do cardio, begging me not taking extra nibbles of food, making sure I lift weights, this is my journey and I did it! In this sport I am accountable to myself and if you are able to push through the pain to set your mind to a goal and accomplish it...well nothing beats that feeling...
So today and yesterday I got 45grms of Rice and some fats to fill out a bit...yippee!! This afternoon I goto registration, and the athletes meeting which is always great to see old and new friends. Then tomorrow I get to put on the sparkling "Waikini" (as Mekaella would call it) and show what I got!!

I wanted to thank my sponsors Sd Pharmaceuticals for their amazing support and products that have brought me to this level. Also all my friends and family who are coming to cheer me on. This has not been an easy prep, but I am ready to ROCK!!! Stay tuned for updates!!




                                         

                                                        For more on my diet and training visit:
                                                              www.sdpharmaceuticals.com
                                                                     follow me on twitter:
                                                                         @aeryonashlie
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                                                                      Aeryon Bela Ashlie

Sister Friend

Many of us have them......our Sister Friends, those women who have been there for you through the thick and thin. The Friends who when you see each other it feels like there is no time between visits.  I have many wonderful women in my life who I do consider my "Sister Friends" however there is one who stands out...

It 10 years ago I met my "Sister Friend" she is me but in a different form. We met competing in Calgary backstage over some chocolate, pnt butter and rice cakes,  we connected instantly. When I was transferred for work to Calgary a year later we had kept in touch.  I will never forget our first "lunch date" at Starbuck's with our boxed lunches, of fish and beans (funny some things never change). After this meeting as I drove home and called my mother when she asked how lunch was I responded "Mom, I will know this girl for the rest of my life".
I knew that in this girl I had found a kindred spirit,we have been through so much as friends, births, death, love, heartache, diets, marathons, competitions, work drama, life drama the list goes on and on. Through it all we are each others biggest fans, we can sit up till all hours laughing and talking about the exact same thing over and over. We can talk at the same time and yet we know exactly what the other is saying. We often wonder if she maybe could have been my long lost sister...but with her wonderful CoCo complexion.....there could be no way...

So at this years Nationals Miss Sarah is traveling yet again to scream out my name and give me support. For her and our friendship I am eternally grateful....I hope all you ladies out there have one or many  sister friends.....


                                                   Our Second Year Competing Together:

Last Year Nationals

For More information regarding my Supplements and Diet please visit:

www.sdpharmaceuticals.com

or Follow me on Twitter:

@AeryonAshlie

Like my Facebook page

Aeryon Bela Ashlie

Nationals Show Prep

This years prep for Nationals was a tough one for me...from the Arnold Amatuer's to this show I did not follow my Primal diet as I had done in the past which caused a little higher weight gain. That started playing with my head, I have also gained more muscle from last years show so the scale was not  dropping like I wanted it too. Although I know that a bikini competitor is not subject to a weigh in and it is how you look,  the scale still mess's with my head.
I found myself in a dark place several times really struggling with my Bulima which was the exact reason I did not want to do shows anymore. It causes a constant obsession on how you look, what you weigh and what you eat. I have done alot of work on myself in the past to curb the voices and gain control over my bulimia.  Even though I know better it can be a struggle. I will always have those voices come up even if I am doing a show or not and it is up to me if I give into them, what kind of life do I want to live what kind of example do I want to be to other women and my daughter.
So I pushed through, I had to stop being so hard on myself,  give my body the love and respect it needs, instead of getting angry with the scale not moving, start appreciating the strength and beauty of this amazing body I have been given. I realized that before I know it the show will be over,  this is my time to give all I can to be the best I can be in this area of my life and that is all I can expect.
I continued to do my best, to try not get obsessed with the scale but rather with trying to bring my best package to this show,  giving my 150% each training session and with my diet.  This is just a small part of my life in the grand scheme of things but for those 16 weeks it becomes such a focal point it gets hard to keep it in perspective. As a women there is already so much pressure on us to look a certain way, add a competition and being on stage in front of hundreds of people and it gets pretty intense.
So as I finish this show journey I continue to work on being kind and loving to this body that enables me to do so much...

For more information on my diet and training program please visit:

www.sdpharmaceuticals.com

Follow me on Twitter:

@AeryonAshlie

Like my facebook page:

Aeryon Bela Ashlie

Corseting for Bikini

     When I went to the Arnold amateurs in Feb I was talking to a lady about trying to create a more hour glass shape,  she suggested I look into corseting for my next show.  I unfortunately do not have the hour glass look that is desired for Bikini and according to her many top Bikini Girls are using them. When I returned home I did some research on them then left it alone.
    In April the lady who makes my suits "The Suit Lady" started selling Squeams which are essentially corsets. So I bought one, it is amazing how much it pulls you in and for the first several hours it is ok and not bothersome. They suggest wearing for several hours at a time until you get used to it then going all day and night. However,  I drive for a living so to be sitting in a corset all day is very VERY uncomfortable, so I opted to wear it at night every night when I sleep.
   The idea is that the pressure of the corset shapes the lower ribcage and waist. The lower ribcage is flexible and it bends slowly under pressure of the corset. Both halves of the ribcage are drawn gradually together and the circumference of the waist is reduced. When the corset is unlaced the body accommodates slowly back to it's natural shape. When you wear a tight laced corset for a considerable amount of time the compression of the waist will stay for some time after the corset is taken off.
     So I have done that, now have I noticed a big difference? Hummm...I believe I have and I will take any extra shaping I can get....

I have attached some picture of my squeam when I first put it on and when I take it off in the morning. Also my bruises from wearing it, when I sleep it must press on this one spot because I have developed quite the bruise. I have 2 options for the how tight I have it and I have now graduated to the tightest it can go.

                                          All Ready for Bed...

The next morning

Up close you can see how tight it is on my skin

My bruise (looks worse in person)

To find out more about my diet and training please goto

www.sdpharmaceuticals.com

Or follow me on twitter:

@AeryonAshlie