Local woman wins national title in bodybuilding

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@thecitizennews.com

Peachtree City's Jamie Arion works at World Gym in Peachtree City, building other people's bodies.

Last year, she decided to continue building her own and enter in body building competitions. Now, as a state, regional and national champion, she serves as an example to her clients, about what can be done when the effort is put in.

"It was time for me to practice what I preach," said Arion. "I was going to enter these contests several years ago, but got pregnant with my son. Now, that he's three years old and in preschool, I have the time to dedicate to training, while still being a good wife and mother."

During training, Arion would work out at the gym for close to three hours a day, but bodybuilding is not just time in the gym. It is equally important to have the proper diet, perform good cardiovascular exercises and get the right amount of rest. Her family also supported her as she trained for the competitions. They would ride their bikes or roller blade together and several times she would jog behind their golf cart.

"When you are training for a competition like this, you walk a fine line of overtraining," Arion said. "It is important to be in touch with that, since you are never really off in the time leading up to competition."

Arion's interest in athletics started in high school where she was heavily involved in sports. It continued into college, where she played several sports. After college she started training for and competing in triathlons and then began helping others train for triathlons. Since she had always been passionate about fitness, she got certified to be a physical trainer.

"I teach group fitness and aerobics, partially because I love the stage but also because I enjoy being a role model," said Arion. "I like to show people that if you set goals and go for them, you can do anything."

Last April, Arion entered her first competition, the Supernatural Bodybuilding and Fitness state competition. The organization, based out of Duluth, was formed as a natural (drug free) organization to give all bodybuilding and fitness athletes a goal. There are four open classes, Men, Women, Masters and Fitness, and entrants are judged on symmetry, muscularity and presentation.

Symmetry refers to the structural harmony of the physique relative to the size of various body parts. Muscularity refers to the size of the muscles in relation to skeletal structure, shape, hardness and definition. Presentation is the effective display of the contestant's asset through posing ability, posture, projection and carriage on stage. Skin tone, grooming and posing outfit are a part of the presentation as well.

After the competition in April, Arion entered the regional competition where she competed against contestants from five other Southern states. She placed first in the contest and qualified for the national meet in October. Competing against 10 other women in the Women's Open Tall category, Arion placed first.

"I'm just coming off cloud nine now," Arion said. "My family and friends all flew in for the competition and it was a big thrill."

Arion will now take a few months off from the strain of training. In January, after the holidays are over, she will begin to train again. Her next goal is to qualify for the world championships and, if she has proven anything so far, it is that if you put your mind toward achieving a goal, you can reach it.

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