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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