My name is Amy Layne, I grew up in Amherst, Nova Scotia. I am a Certified Personal Trainer, Holistic Nutritionist, Lifestyle Expert, Fitness Model, Fitness Competitor, Esthetician, and Make-Up Artist. I guess my first flirt with fitness started back when I was in Grade 9 and saw my first Oxygen Magazine. I had never seen women like this before so athletic, strong, yet feminine. It was amazing to me. I fell in love with the idea of being one of these women. Without real direction or knowledge I started going to the gym.

I come from a family of all women with the exception of my father. He was the only athlete in my family. He played many sports (excelling) and was always in incredible shape. Anytime I would share my aspirations of becoming a figure athlete I would quickly be shut down by things like ‘these women are genetically gifted,’ ‘they are exceptions to the rule,’ or ‘you’re never going to be that muscular.’ With the dream seeming too unrealistic I focused on cardio, being “skinny,’ and dieting. I tried every diet out there. Check my bookshelf! I have the literature to prove it! I found I was depriving myself one week and indulging endlessly the next. This continued for many years.

After high school I went on to become an esthetician and make-up artist. Within a year I opened my own spa in Amherst and bought my first home independently. I was extremely blessed to have an amazing clientele that were loyal and fun to work with! I worked long hours and didn’t know how to say “no.”  The only activity I was doing was cardio and I was on a very restricted diet. I felt tired and was nowhere close to my dream physique. I was gaining weight. It made no sense. I was barely eating! Growing unhappy in my life I took a step back and re-evaluated everything. I asked myself what I really loved and what I really wanted to do. I have always had a passion for health and wellness. I loved working with people helping them attain their goals. I needed education and balance. It is incredibly difficult to walk away from a successful life and leap into the unknown but that is what I did.

In 2008 I decided to sell my home and go back to school to become a Holistic Nutritionist and Personal Trainer. Boy did my life change from then on! During this time my family was delivered news that changed our lives forever. My father, my best friend, was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer. This cancer was caused by exposure to asbestos. It was shocking and so unfair that such a strong, healthy man could be given such a sentence. My father never drank, never smoked, never swore and was eating flax seed and wheat grass before any of us knew what they were. This athletic man was given one year to live.

In March, 2009, I found myself becoming a serious runner beside my then boyfriend (now husband). We would run every night. We even did the 90 Day P90X. I had lost some weight but was still far from my goal. I didn’t look lean and long like I wanted to. What I didn’t know was that March was going to be the best and worst month of my life. In the first week of March my boyfriend took me to a mountaintop and unexpectedly asked me to marry him! I was shocked and overjoyed! One week later I was instructed to take the red-eye across the country to be with my father. He passed away within the next 24 hours of us arriving. Watching someone so strong physically and mentally lose all of their ability made me so grateful for what I had. I made a promise to myself that I would do my best at everything I do and I would not set limitations. I would no longer complain about workouts or the small things we all take for granted. I decided my time is now!

I always wanted to be one of those girls in Oxygen Magazine so I decided to hit the internet to figure out how I was going to do it. I needed support and direction to get to the level that I wanted to be at. From that moment I set goals and decided to reach them. The first was I was going to go to Fitness America in Las Vegas, NV, in November, 2009. Fitness America is a world-renowned organization for fitness and figure athletes. I trained vigorously for 12 weeks in preparation for the competition. While attending an afternoon show in Las Vegas I was chosen to do a ‘test-shoot’ for Oxygen Magazine. It was an amazing experience. I also participated in a desert photoshoot. This experience lit my passion for the fitness industry on an entire new level! In June I am going to Miami to participate in the Fitness Universe Pageant. There I have booked two photoshoots with world-renowned photographers in hopes for magazine submissions. In July I will be doing the World Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation Competition in Calgary, Alberta. I am excited for my future in Fitness Competitions and Fitness Modeling.

Today I have a strong, healthy body. I am full of energy and excited for each day! I am still striving towards my perfect body with patience and enthusiasm. I have refined my goals in fitness modeling and competing. I feel blessed that I work in a field that I truly love. I’m looking forward to all 2010 has to offer! 

Amy Layne