I’d like to wish everyone a Happy HARDBODY Holiday. Many of you will be sharing this time with family and friends, most likely dining with large quantities of food. While going back for that second cookie, we often forget the sacrifices the fitness and figure competitors go through during this time. Currently, many female pros are in pre-contest mode for the Arnold Classic and must leave the sugary treats behin. That doesn’t stop these ladies from enjoying the holidays. Curious what the pros are doing this holiday season? Wonder no more; I caught up with a few of today’s top IFBB pros and to find out how they spend their holidays.
Check out how many of the ladies responded:
Jen Hendershott, IFBB Fitness Pro
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: My hubby and I are going to Ohio for 10 days to visit my parents, brothers and his family. We will also get some time to see friends and enjoy some food and drinks. I can’t wait. There is nothing more important then time your husband, your family, and friends.
Does your family have any holiday traditions: This year we will once again watch “Christmas Vacation” at least 3 times. My brothers and I will tease each other and call each other out on things we did 20 years ago. My 10 nieces and nephews will go bowling. My family will drink so we can all put up with one another. The only way to survive the holidays with 25 people in the house is have a beverage in hand. I can’t wait!
Any New Year’s Resolutions: To be better then I was in 2007 in everything I do. I believe I get better with age! Happy Holidays everyone. God Bless.
Tracey Greenwood, IFBB Fitness Pro
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: Well this is the first year that my family is coming to MY HOUSE. Thank God I train a caterer!!! But Christmas eve will be quiet with my “man” and my doggies 🙂
Does your family have any holiday traditions: Well funny story…. my mom and dad still live in Wildwood NJ and ever since I was a “wee” girl… they always Christmas Caroled with my aunts, uncles and their friends. Sounds innocent doesn’t it? Not so much… see they get plastered and climb into the back of Uncle Ernie’s pick up truck (Uncle Ernie does not drink!) with their water bottles filled with booze, drive to people’s homes and sing! Again fairly innocent…. not so much…..after they finish singing…. Uncle Ernie backs the truck up, they all line up…. Ernie hits the headlights on the truck and everyone drops their pants because they have spray-painted their butt cheeks to spell MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! It has become quite the tradition in Wildwood. People actually set up buffets for them!
Any New Year’s Resolutions: Exercise and eat healthier (HA HAHA)
Paola Almerico, IFBB Figure Pro
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: I will be spending Christmas and New Years with my friends and family in Miami. I come from a big family so our get togethers are always fun and interesting. We spend warm and loving time in the kitchen preparing meals together for the big event. Like most big Italian/Chilean families, we love good food and wine. The process of preparing everything is as enjoyable as the actual meal. Our parties include a lot of dancing and games. We open our gifts at midnight on Christmas eve but the Children in the family have additional gifts from “Santa” waiting for them in the morning.
Does your family have any holiday traditions: Many times we share our New Year’s resolutions with the family and have the tradition of eating 12 grapes to bring in the New Year.
Any New Year’s Resolutions: I would like to take my game to the next level as a competitor but, more importantly, help other women transform their body and mind through health and fitness. During 2007, I trained 3 figure competitors who did extremely well (2 won overalls and 1 got 2nd place). I saw how the process changed them in a very profound way. During 2008, I would like to impact more women to be their best!!
Krissy Chin, IFBB Figure Pro
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: I will be spending the holidays with my husband and family in Kansas…brrrrrrr…(chilly here!)
Does your family have any holiday traditions: Our family has Family Christmas at church where we each bring our favorite dish and then we have a gift exchange.
Any New Year’s Resolutions: To be even more productive and successful in 2008!
Monica Brant, IFBB Figure Pro & Fitness Icon
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: Hubby, Mom, Dad, sis in law’s Dad @ brother (Philip) and sis in law’s (Kathy) new home in San Antonio, TX And PUPS!
Does your family have any holiday traditions: EAT! Watch a movie… LAUGH a Lot! Other than that… Not much! Ha!
Any New Year’s Resolutions: Hmmm… Not yet.. I suppose since I have goals all year I don’t take NEW YEAR’S Resolutions too seriously… I have always been a goal orientated person and don’t need a new year to make them happen!
Kristal Richardson, IFBB Figure Pro
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: I’ll be spending my holiday in sunny Miami, Florida with my husband, Tom and my parents. Oh, and my two chocolate labs!
Does your family have any holiday traditions: Growing up, we had the normal traditions…got to Christmas Eve church service, open presents on Christmas morning, then cook and eat all day and watch “It’s a Wonderful Lifeâ€. The last few years, we have added in another tradition on Christmas Eve. We also go to Tom’s business partner’s home and celebrate Noche Bueno. This is a Latin tradition and they cook up a pig and drink like maniacs! No pig or drinking for me this year-I’m dieting for the Arnold (hopefully!!! 🙂 ).
Any New Year’s Resolutions: The same one I have every year-to organize the junk room-yes, I said room… we have an entire ROOM dedicated to useless junk!
Sonia Adcock, IFBB Figure Pro
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: My husband and I will be spending our holiday with my family, mom(Maria), step dad(Lohn), 2 brothers (Cp, Patrick), sister in law (Debbie), 2 nieces (Brianna, Loren), nephews (Josiah, Ashton)!
Does your family have any holiday traditions: Our family tradition is to pick out a tree together and decorate it, we make a whole day of this and then have a casual dinner afterwards. This usually happens on a weekend while watching football.
Any New Year’s Resolutions: I usually don’t make resolutions, I just want to be healthy and HAPPY !!!
Christine Pomponio-Pate, IFBB Figure Pro
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: I will probably be spending my holiday in the hospital with my newborn baby and daddy (my husband.)
Does your family have any holiday traditions: Usually, the Italian fish and spaghetti dinner.
Any New Year’s Resolutions: Not really, I make them ALL year long.
Julie Lohre, IFBB Fitness Pro
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: I am spending Christmas with my family here in Kentucky. While our Holiday travel plans are not exciting, I will be working hard finishing off our basement into a full fledge gym. Nothing better than rolling out of bed and onto the Stepper : ) We are doing all the work ourselves and I am pretty good with a hammer. Today, carrying wood and putting up the walls got to count for my cardio, can’t beat that.
Does your family have any holiday traditions: As far as holiday traditions, the Christmas season has truly begun as we just finished watching “The Christmas Story”. Each year, I just have to see if Ralphy will shoot his eye out or not! We are blessed to have most of our family all within 30 minutes, so we visit lots of relatives between Christmas eve and Christmas Day. The best part of Christmas for me is waking up Christmas morning and seeing the look on our son’s face when he realizes that Santa did indeed come.
Any New Year’s Resolutions: For the new year, I do have a resolution, to lose 8 lbs in the next 9 weeks : ) But seriously, as far as my fitness resolutions go, I want to continue having fun with the sport that I love. Sometimes, we get so competitive that we forget why we are competing in the first place. So, I plan to work as hard as possible ahead of time and relax a bit at the shows to really have fun with it. Did I mention that winning is fun, so I think I will try to do some of that too. : )
Juliana Malacarne, IFBB Figure Pro
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: I’ll be here (NY) one client of mine invited me go to her home on x-mas night. For New Years I still have no idea.
Does your family have any holiday traditions: My family is Catholic so X-mas… catholic stuff.
Any New Year’s Resolutions: I think people need to love more, to forgive more and make their lives simple. Everyone take care about themselves and helps others to build a better the world.
Catherine Anderson, IFBB Figure Pro
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: I will be home, in Milwaukee, spending a nice family holiday with my husband and his grown children.
Does your family have any holiday traditions: We always enjoy having Christmas day dinner at our house. Sometimes it is a nicely prepared feast, other times we do a casual buffet type meal. Very relaxed, very homey. I will be eating my pre-contest meal of chicken and greens though… no rest for the wicked I guess. But at least I get to watch everyone else enjoying the holiday yummies!
Any New Year’s Resolutions: Yes, be better at what ever I do than I was in 2007. And to always be mindful of the many blessing I am given – health, happiness, love and support!
Desha Rodriquez, IFBB Figure Pro
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: I will be spending the holidays at home with family.
Does your family have any holiday traditions: We will be having Xmas brunch at my house watching the children open up their presents and then we head over to my grandmother’s house for a good Italian dinner….YUMMY!!! Oh yea on Christmas Eve, Santa stays up pretty much all night putting together all the toys he brings so they are ready for the children to play with when they wake up.
Any New Year’s Resolutions: No real New Year’s resolutions… I wish good health and happiness for everyone. My goal for myself is to stay focued and organized while I balance my family, work and competing.
Jennifer Gates, IFBB Figure Pro
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: With my hubby Derek, my two kids, Adelyn and Peyton, and all of our family… In Indiana… where it’s 40 degrees with snow… yikes!! I’m sure we will be by the fireplace!!
Does your family have any holiday traditions: We have Santa Claus come to our grandparents house every year on Christmas Eve night and each kiddo gets to sit on Santa’s lap and get a little gift.
Any New Year’s Resolutions: To be nicer to my family while I’m dieting… and of course to be 100% ready for the Figure International… if I get invited!!!
Gina Aliotti, IFBB Figure Pro
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: This year I will be staying in San Diego and spending the holiday with friends. For the first time, I am not going home but going to share the Holidays with a dinner celebration with some close friends. I decided to stay close to home, in preparation for the Arnold!
Does your family have any holiday traditions: Yes, typically I go to my hometown, Monterey, where I celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my dad’s side of the family. We celebrate Christmas Eve with our traditional Sicilian Seafood Feast. Any type of seafood imaginable is prepared and shared on the special night. I will miss this, this year, but will keep the tradition and prepare a nice seafood dish to bring to my get together with friends
Any New Year’s Resolutions: As far as New Year’s Resolutions, I am going to have to start thinking about that… I haven’t really given it much thought.
Jessica Steffens, IFBB Figure Pro
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: My husband & I are going “back home” which is the San Luis Valley. Both our families still live there.
Does your family have any holiday traditions: We always open all our presents on Christmas Eve and have a big feast which is always Prime Rib with twice baked potatoes & my home-made eggnog! Christmas morning we go to Travis’s parents at 6 a.m. for communion, followed by more presents & more food!
Any New Year’s Resolutions: Live my life to the fullest & be happy!
Jennifer Searles, IFBB Figure Pro
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: I’m going home to Nantucket to be with my family for Christmas. Same thing every year! My family is steepd in tradition. We ALL go to my grandmother’s house every year. No one’s missed a Christmas and Grandma’s since I’ve been alive… As for New Year’s, I live in NYC, so always play it by ear! So many things to choose from, it’s more fun not to plan it I think…
Does your family have any holiday traditions: YES! We wake up Christmas morning, get ready, go to Church, then head over to my Grandparent’s house to open presents… we all gather in the living room, sit in the same places we do EVERY year (I sit in the green chair by the fireplace) and my little sisters pass out the presents to everyone, and we open them… we have dinner together that night. EVERY YEAR SINCE I’VE BEEN OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER!
Any New Year’s Resolutions: To be more disciplined with work, and to try to stop beating myself up for stupid things that life throws my way… I get stressed so easily and need to work on it LOL!
Oksana Grishina, IFBB Fitness Pro
Where will you be spending your holiday and with whom: We will be spending our holidays around our friends and Oksana is a creative human, it will be mini-show. Life bring for us a lot of surprises, as good,as not good.
Does your family have any holiday traditions: Our family traditions are don’t notice bad surprises and living each day as a holiday.
Any New Year’s Resolutions: Love and beloved. Love your work be strong and you will be reward.
