Were you lucky enough to have parent or parents who led a fit lifestyle? Dara Cox was lucky enough to have a mother who was into working out and allowed her to get a gym membership at the minimum age allowed. Dara made it part of her life. SO much so that she also made a career out of it. But what happens when the unforeseen happens and your life is altered?
Being involved in a serious accident that caused multiple injuries and problems led to a 40lb. weight gain on Dara. Now, 40lbs. on someone like me? May be pretty noticeable. However or a woman Daras size? Well you can imagine it became quite noticeable. And since her career was a personal trainer, I’m sure you can imagine how that could affect her livelihood.
Dara Cox was at a crossroad. Change careers, and give into pain. Alter her life and just… exist. OR overcome her injuries, lose the depression issues, fight back and lose the weight, and regain control of her life! She chose the latter and recruited the aid of Fatima Leite Kusch and her Better Bodies Team, and has since become an experienced competitor. Her first WBFF show was in July, and now she is setting her sights on the 2013 WBFF World Championships in Las Vegas.
Keep your eyes on this beautiful competitor with such an amazing physique and stunning stage presence. And be inspired by her and believe that YOU are in control of your OWN BODY! Dare to DREAM and do not EVER let ANYONE tell you that you CANNOT do something!
Dara Cox
“I’ve always been active and interested in sports and fitness. I joined my first gym at 16 years old, which was as young as you could be to join at the only gym in the rural Saskatchewan town that I grew up in. And I couldn’t even go by myself at that point, my mom had to accompany me, so thank goodness for having a mom who worked out herself! I have no doubt that pointed me in the right direction.
I had a little up and down with my weight through university, always trying to improve but never really being able to attain the physique I wanted. I saw the women in fitness magazines and admired them and wanted to look like that. I started to learn about fitness competitions and dreamed of one day getting up on stage. I had the desire, but I never really did anything with it. Everything in my life was ok. Not what I truly wanted, but ok enough that I was comfortable, which as I’ve now found is not really a good thing. Being comfortable makes you complacent and that does nothing to drive you towards greater things. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
In 2009 I was on a city bus and we got rear ended by another bus. I sustained multiple injuries including backstrain, whiplash, and a concussion that caused insomnia that lead to depression. For the next year I wasn’t allowed to work out and I was on medication that caused weight gain. I’m not blaming the meds though, as the 40 pounds I gained I’m sure had something to do with all of the Kraft Dinner, chips, and brownies I ate. I went from an athletic size 6 to a size 14 in 4 months. Plus I work as a personal trainer, so I felt like a complete fraud. One day I was out shopping (because none of my clothes fit any more) and I was too big to shop at my usual stores. I realized that if I didn’t stop this I was going to have to start shopping at plus size stores.
That moment was my turn around point. I started to slowly lose the weight. I returned to my healthy eating habits (which was NOT easy) and started working out when I got the clearance from my doctor. It was a long, slow process as I had lost all of the muscle and strength that I had before the accident. I was literally starting from scratch. It took me 10 months to lose 15 pounds and regain much of my lost strength. I then decided that I needed a specific goal to work towards and that goal was to get on stage. I knew I needed help for that, so I started looking into online competition prep coaches and found Fatima Leite Kusch and her Team Blessed Bodies. It sounds like just what I needed so I signed up and 5 months later had lost 25 more pounds and stepped on stage at my first fitness show. That was almost two years ago and I’m still with Team Blessed Bodies and have since competed 3 more times and each time have been able to improve what I’ve brought to the stage. I started with one organization and although that was a good experience, the first time I saw a WBFF show I knew that it was the organization for me. Everything about the WBFF is a celebration of fitness and personal accomplishment. The athletes support each other and the shows are an amazing spectacle that really showcase everyone’s hard work. I had such a great time at my first WBFF show in July 2013 and I can’t wait to hit the stage again at the World Championships in Vegas on August 23rd!
I’ve been amazed at how this process has changed the rest of my life as well, it’s not just about getting that bikini body. When you truly take control of your body and see how you can transform it through diet and training it makes you feel like you can accomplish anything! And you can! I want to help other women realize their own potential and how it can all start with food and fitness.”
