Words of Wisdom by Rachel Cosgrove

I love my job for many reasons. Working with inspiring women who challenge and push themselves to accomplish more than they ever thought possible is a big one. Hillary Skahan is one such woman.

Hillary decided to compete in a Figure competition this year and I was honored to be her coach. She's a dream client -- motivated, does everything I ask of her, sticks to her plan exactly as prescribed, and because of it, she gets amazing results.

I always say that I can't take the credit for my client's success because I wouldn't want to take the blame if they didn't follow what I tell them to do. So all the credit goes to Hillary for what she'd accomplished this year!

After getting to know her over the last year, I realized that she has a lot to offer other women who are looking to achieve their dream body. Whether their goal is a Figure competition or learning to balance being a wife and mother while keeping that "hot mama" figure, Hillary's advice can be priceless.

She'd just completed her first season of Figure competitions, so I thought now would be a good time to pick her brain and share her advice, secrets, and a healthy dose of motivation for the readers of FigureAthlete.com.

I've always believed that if you want to accomplish something, find someone who has already done it and follow in their footsteps. Meet Hillary! Hillary Skahan

Figure Athlete: Thank you so much for the interview, Hillary. You have a lot to offer the readers of FigureAthlete.com as a female who lifts, is a mother and a fitness competitor, and manages to balance it all! Tell us a little bit about your background.

Hillary Skahan: Thank you, Rachel. FigureAthlete.com has so many motivating women throughout the website, that it's an honor for my story to be an article!

I was always a very active and competitive child while I was growing up. I participated in sports year round and learned very early that you have to set goals and prioritize your time if you want to succeed. When I went off to college, I got into running, thinking that a daily run on campus would keep the college pounds off and create a sexy, toned body.

I met my husband -- who currently is a strength and conditioning coach for a professional organization, and turned away every time he told me to quit wasting my time running so much and spend more time in the weight room. Instead of taking his advice to heart, I actually decided to run more! I ran a few half marathons and marathons throughout my twenties.

Eventually, I obtained my personal training certification through NASM. I was already reading a lot of my husband's books and journals as well as watching his training DVD's, so I figured I might as well get my license and learn more about the body and how it works.

After completing the certification process, I started to lift weights more routinely but kept running five to six days a week.

While I was pregnant with our first child, I continued to run and walk throughout my pregnancy. I stopped lifting weights as suggested by my Ob/Gyn (I wasn't having any complications, but was simply told I should stop doing it).

After I gave birth I knew something had to change. My body wasn't anywhere near what I envisioned a "hot mama" to be!

FA: You didn't always make your weight training a priority, right? There was a time when you used to be a runner who lifted weights occasionally. How has your routine changed over the years, and how has your body changed because of it?

HS: There was a time when the alarm would go off every morning at 5:00 am, and I'd run five to ten miles a day. It was the first thing I did every morning, and I felt that I needed to keep doing it to obtain the body I had in mind.

I'd lift three days a week, but that only took place if I had the time, and definitely came second to running!

My body has changed completely in the past few years. I used to hate my legs. I was running up to fifty miles a week and I still didn't like the way my legs looked in shorts or in a swimsuit! My upper body was lean but not the sculpted shapely muscles I desired.

I eventually got frustrated enough to ask my husband for a program. He had me lifting heavy weights and doing more bike and hill sprints. I loved the feeling of getting stronger and pushing myself, seeing if I could get one more chin up or squat with a little more weight than the last time.

I started to see muscle, and to like my reflection in the mirror. I was hooked!

FA: Not too long ago you were "thinking" about competing, reading the articles here at FigureAthlete.com, wondering if you could do it. What finally inspired you -- pulled the trigger, so to speak -- to get you on stage?

HS: I did lurk for quite a while! I read every article and admired all the women who were featured or had a journal with a goal to step on stage.

I remember reading your interview with Julie Lohre and thinking, if she can nurse her four month-old son between rounds of her competition, I had no excuses!

What was I afraid of? If I wanted it badly enough, I had to go get it!

I was turning thirty and thought, what a better way to celebrate entering my thirties than looking better than I did in my twenties?! I thought a Figure competition would do that for me and decided to give it a shot. Hillary Skahan

Hillary at her first competition ever, where she placed second!

FA: How did your training and nutrition change when you decided to do a show?

HS: When I began training for my first Figure competition, you had me stop doing all cardio. I think at that point I was doing it three times a week for 30 to 40 minutes. I was lifting weights three days a week with a day off between workouts, as well as two days off completely, in a row.

My training days were intense. I actually got a little nervous before I'd workout because I usually ended each session feeling nauseous and completely spent!

I was already eating fairly clean and every few hours, so you'd suggested we don't do anything with my nutrition at that point. My diet remained pretty constant until four weeks out, which is when we started a carb cycle. At that point, I started to develop fins and gills, as fish was my diet.

FA: At this point, you have competed three times, have taken home a few trophies, and have accomplished quite a bit as a competitor. Congratulations!

What surprised you most about training for and competing in a Figure Competition?

HS: Hands down, the planning and prepping involved was the most surprising. Just when I thought the day was done and I could relax on the couch for twenty minutes before dozing off, I'd realize that I had to make meals for the next day!

Being a mom and a wife has always come first, so some nights prepping for the next day's meals didn't happen until 10:00 pm, which is really late when the alarm goes off at 4:45 am to workout.

One of my strongest attributes is commitment to a plan. If I'm given a plan and told to eat this at such and such time, I willdo it! I won't question it, I'll just do it. I knew I'd be much happier the next day if I had planned and prepped all my food ready to go with me in the morning.

FA: What are the top two tips you'd give to someone who's getting ready to step on stage for the first time, or maybe just thinking about it?

HS: My suggestion for those who are thinking about competing is to pick a competition and do it! Stop thinking about it; just do it! Why not, right?

You only live life once and never want to regret anything. You're obviously in good health if you want to train for a competition. Nothing in life is certain. Get outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself!

I never would have imagined myself putting on a tiny suit and heels, and standing with my backside to a room full of strangers! I'm generally a pretty quiet person and would shy away from anything like that, but I've gained a greater sense of self-confidence since I started this whole journey.

So those of you still wavering; stop thinking about and do it.

My suggestion for those who are getting ready to step on stage is to talk to the other competitors backstage. You're all there together, a little unsure of what to expect and definitely nervous. Making conversation with the girls will help pass time (which can feel like an eternity!) and you might pick up some ideas for recipes or share training tips.

I remember spending so much of my prep feeling like an outsider in society. People were constantly questioning everything I did.

But backstage, for one day, you're actually surrounded by a bunch of girls who have gone through the same things you did for the last month! It's definitely nice to laugh and commiserate together.

FA: Now that you've competed in a few shows, you've probably seen the best and the worst. What are the biggest mistakes you saw other competitors making? You know, when you thought to yourself, "Oh, that poor girl, no one told herÖ."

This is an effort to save Figure Athlete girls from making the same mistakes.

HS: I can think of two instances when I felt bad for two different girls. The first was when a girl wasn't tan enough.

She looked like she maybe had gone through a spray bed a time or two and decided that was good enough -- not even close to being the super dark color the rest of the girls are. She would've definitely benefited from attending a show to find out just how dark these girls are up close!

The other time was when a girl was just not lean enough. I was in the bathroom and she was arguing with her mom about whether she was going to step on stage or not. The competitor was saying she didn't realize all the girls would be so lean and there was no way she was standing next to any of them on stage.

Her mother was telling her that yes, she would get on stage. She had come this far, and she would do it. The mother won that argument, and you could tell the poor girl was completely unhappy when she was up on stage.

FA: You're a fitness coach part time to a few ladies during the week, right? Since competing have you changed the way you train your clients at all?

Did it influence your training style, philosophies, or the way you train the clients you work with?

HS: I work part time as a speech-language pathology assistant for children with special needs and also train a group of women four days a week. I love both of my jobs for different reasons.

My passion for training women has grown tremendously in the last year. I want women to feel strong and confident. So many times we rely upon our husbands or friends to tell us we look good, but nothing looks sexier on a woman than strong self-confidence!

Back to your question: I train my clients with an emphasis on building a strong woman inside and out. I reiterate all of the training principles preached on this website -- lay off the cardio, lift heavy, and reward yourself with good nutrition and rest. I don't want anyone to waste as much time as I did when I was doing ungodly amounts of running.

I don't know if my own training for a competition has changed the way I train other people, but it has opened my eyes to the intensity that one can endure. Women in general are a strong sex and we like to be challenged.

Sometimes, it takes an outside source to push us to our limits. I enjoy being that person challenging these women.

FA: Do you have a mission statement or personal mantra that gets you through the tough days or when an obstacle comes up?

HS: There are days when my feet hit the ground running in the morning and never stop. Those days, I usually question why the heck I'm doing this to myself. Why can't I just work, be a wife and a mom, and workout because I like to? Why do I have to train for a competition?

This is when I remind myself that I chose to do this and that I'm in control of my destination. I like to think you can do anything for a minute, a day, a week, or a month. In the grand scheme of life, it's a pretty short amount of time so suck it up and get it done. Hillary Skahan

FA: Any funny, motivating, or inspirational stories to share about your journey to becoming a Figure Athlete?

HS: We've created a very small home gym in our garage after our son was born because I wanted to be able to train during his nap times or before he woke up in the morning. Our gym consists of a squat rack, bench, chin up bar, stability ball, med balls, dumbbells, and various bands. It isn't pretty, but it's gotten the job done.

Having this home gym has brought a few funny moments. It isn't uncommon for me to workout in my boy shorts underwear and sports bra, especially in the summer when it's hot.

Well, there have been a few times when my husband came home and opened the garage door to find me in my underwear and sports bra, working out with my iPod on, totally clueless that all my neighbors could see me. Quite the site!

FA: Ha! I'm sure your husband didn't mind it!

Any parting words of advice for the readers of Figure Athlete?

HS: I feel a little funny offering any advice because I feel so new to this and still have a lot to learn myself. My only words of advice are to enjoy the process.

It's a time in your life when you look phenomenal and feel great about yourself. Don't let all the prepping, planning, training, and lack of sleep cloud the good things about the preparation.

Start a journal and rely upon the support of other girls on this site. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there -- you may just surprise yourself!

FA: Hillary, you're an inspiration! Thank you for sharing your story with us; it was such a pleasure to be a part of this journey with you!

For more on this amazing hot mama, visit her website.

About the Author

Rachel Cosgrove is a fitness professional who specializes in getting women of all ages into the best shape of their lives. She owns and operates Results Fitness with her husband in Santa Clarita, Ca. She has a BS in Exercises Physiology and earned her CSCS from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Rachel Cosgrove

She has competed in fitness competitions, triathlons and powerlifting. She has also been featured in Women's Health Magazine, Muscle and Fitness Hers, Shape Magazine, Fitness Magazine, Men's Health, Men's Fitness and Oxygen. For more information on Rachel visit her website.