Bikinis and Belly Laughs- A Look Into the Life of One of the World's Best Frolickers

Kristy Leconte.  

This girl makes me smile. As we interviewed each other, I happily and eagerly realized that this lady is right up my alley- passionate, dedicated, friendly, ambitious, and adds a :) at least once per email.

Kristy is an IFPA Pro Bikini Athlete. For those who don't know, the IFPA is a Professional Division in Natural Bodybuilding- after earning her placement at the Yorton Cup (think World Cup or Stanley Cup with more muscle and less pale skin) she can now confidently say she is one of the top 5 Bikini Athletes in the world. Holy macaroni.

But wait, there's more.  A whole lot more.

She is a coach, a trainer, a motivator, a wife, an inspiration, and one hell of a hardworking woman.  Need proof? Be sure to check out her website/blog at kristyleconte.com for a glimpse at what this superwoman does.  I got the chance to speak with her and hear a little bit more about what it's like to walk in the heels (and sneakers!) of this brunette bombshell.

*CC: I feel like you must wake up at 3am to accomplish all you seem to do!  Walk us through a day in the life of Kristy!

KL: Ha that’s about right.  I have always been a person that packs as much, if not too much, into the day.   A normal day goes like so:

3:00am alarm and kisses from my boxer, Bevo, gets me up.

3:30am I am running out the door stuffing meal one in my face as I balance my lunch bag, gym bag, and purse in hand.  (hot mess)

4:00am- 6:00am Workout and shower

6:30am- 12:30pm Clients

12:30pm -4:30 pm I work the desk at the gym and answer email from clients.

4:30pm -7:00pm clients

7:30pm- Home to spend time with Bevo or the Husband

9 pm to 9:30- Bed time! 10:30 is a late night for me.

*CC: I feel far more stress/pressure now before a show than in my first year of competing as a newbie- can you relate to this at all?

KL: Yes! My first prep I didn’t have a coach and I didn’t know anyone else that was doing or prepping for a show.  I had no expectations of where I should be each week and I had nothing  to compare it to.  My second show I prepped in the summer! I thought it would be a piece of cake… I could just BBQ everything and have tons of veggies.  I was wrong! I forgot about the ice cream and the social events where you just want to have a glass of wine.  

THEN I won my IFPA Pro card…  I felt like I had to be better so the pressure was on.  I had all these stage pictures of myself that I had to be better than.  It was a good stress but a stress none the less. The one positive thing about the pressure is you learn a lot about yourself.  There were moments I would be fighting back tears because I was at my limit, but a few minutes later I would do a little self talk/ check in and they I would feel great and think WOW my booty or abs are looking AMAZING.

There are also times where my inner critic starts telling me If I don’t do well I will let my clients and sponsors down.  (No I don’t worry about my family and friends because they have loved me through worst things) :) But I put the pressure on myself because I think of myself as a leader/ role model to my clients.   I want to show them that hard work really does pay off.  Then I’m reminded that my clients don’t care if I win or place dead last.  They are proud of me for just doing this sport. So then I relax a little and look at my abs again! Ha

*CC: What does your husband do for a living? Does he share any of your health/fitness passions?  How does he feel about you competing?

KL: My husbands works in a shipping warehouse.  He is one of the best athletes I have ever known.  I actually look up to him a lot,  (and it’s not just because he’s a foot taller than me).  He still plays Flag football on weekends and can walk into the gym after not working out for months and  squat over 500lbs.

As for how he feels about me competing, he's happy with whatever makes me happy.  I don’t push my eating habits on him.  If he wants pizza he can get pizza.  He also understands If I don’t eat in time I get a cranky. He does enjoying teasing me about staying up pass 9pm. (He’s a night owl).

*CC: I’ve been asked by many people, “are the other girls nice at the shows?” What have you experienced and how would you answer that?

KL: Unfortunately, there are always one or two ladies that have a sucky outlook on life.  Ha… Just like every area of life, there will always be those people that are insecure with who they are and they let one thing define them.  If the show doesn’t go their way they cut down everyone else to make themselves feel better.  

But not everyone is like that.  Not even those people are ALWAYS like that.  I’ve learned that once you know a person's WHY it’s easier to understand where they are coming from.  It doesn’t mean they are right… but as Taylor Swift say… “Shake. Shake. Shake. Shake. Shake it off” 

There are some people there that are truly amazing.  I have met great people by doing shows. These people, like yourself, have helped me learn something about myself and grow as a person. :) It’s really how you chose to handle the negative….

*CC: What is your favorite non-physical characteristic about yourself?

KL: My laugh… When I’m taken by surprise by a joke or something it's really big!

*CC: What is one non-physical characteristic about yourself you wish you could change?

KL: My anxiety/ need to be in control.  This has been something I have been working on for about 7 years really.  I used to be on medication for anxiety and depression.  About 5 years ago I stop taking them and started doing a lot of self- growth things.  (If you see my blog/ facebook I’m kinda a hippy about these topics).  I listen to podcast, read, and write to help me understand why I’m feeling the need to be in control and why I have anxiety.  Also, on my day off one of my favorite things is to let my husband be in control of the day. :) ha I know it seems little but we just get in the car and go without a plan… it’s very peaceful.

*CC: What’s next for you? What are your 1, 5, and 10 year goals?

KL: 1 year- Buy a house. Build my blog and business more.

5 year- Have at least 1 rugrat to chase around.

10 year- To have a network of business women to work with, teach and learn from,  and help make each others goals come true.

*CC: And now, rapid fire fun, just pick one!

Chocolate or vanilla protein powder? 

Chocolate

In the theater- Romcom or Thriller? 

Romcom- the laugh thing! :)

Ice cream or nachos? 

nachos

Squat or lunge? 

Squats

M&Ms or Sour Patch Kids? 

Peanut M&M… sooooo good

Treadmill or track? 

Treadmill

Spandex shorts or capris? 

Capris

Red or White wine? 

RED!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pandora or ipod? 

Fitness Radio, it’s an app without commercials and great mixes

Back or shoulder workout? 

Shoulders

Heels or flip flops?  

Both! :)

Mexican or Italian?  

Mexican

Underamour or Nike?  

Nike

Positively Passionate- finding the thing that makes you ding

"HA HA!!!"

"WOOO WEEEEEE!"

"BABE, BABE LOOK AT THIS, SERIOUSLY LOOK."

I turn my attention to my fiance and move my eyes to the TV.
Ah yes, I admire the athleticism that took.  My hips don't twist that way and my arms certainly couldn't extend that far, well done.

"Oh wow neat."

"Neat? THAT WAS INCREDIBLE."

Passion.

I find the most interesting, thought-provoking, conversation sparking, intriguing people are those with a passion.  Bugs, birds, beer, butter, hey whatever gets your juices flowin'.

I have had numerous conversations with people who have stumbled into this funny thing called fitness and realized heck, it's pretty cool.  They start going to weekly spin classes, begin following hashtag fitfam, and may invest in some tupperware.  They like how they feel and may want to start talking about it...maybe, they say in hushed voices, they'd "even want to compete someday."

But maybe their mom makes meatloaf every Sunday and their dad keeps filling their wine glass.  And they don't want to tell them they haven't fit into those jeans in 10 years so they take the wine and eat a plate of meat and talk about their job.
And maybe their coworkers have a cookie swap and instead of daring a new protein brownie recipe and impending staredowns, they pickup Betty Crocker and put down growing confidence.

It's a pretty interesting phenomenon but I have found many people uncertain about exploring a potential passion in fitness.  It's almost as if fitness enthusiasts are in two camps- those who love to talk about it and those who wish they could.

Colleague at happy hour- "You HAVE to go to the gym???"
Hydrated brain: (no but it makes me feel really lovely and boosts my self esteem- you should try it, maybe we can blend shakes together after!)
"No, I mean, I guess not."

Why not you?
If you like something and it makes you a better person, and you want to share your happiness, WHY NOT?
People get to be passionate about copper, cows, crystal, and cream (?)...why can't you get pumped about making oatmeal and recognizing a deltoid curve?

I understand why and I've been there myself- it's a change in identity.  It wasn't an observable piece of you before and it may take a hot second for others to jump on board.

Do it.  Passion is rare.  Finding the thing that puts a little fire in your soul and pep in your step doesn't happen everyday.
Does sharing a photo of you smashing a squat and feeling oxygen and LIFE burn in your lungs give you a smile and a piece of excitement.  Share it.
Does packing food and putting it in the office fridge next to cold cuts and cake make you feel strong and secure?  Pack it.

Point is, life is short and the things that put a little OOMPH in our hearts are rare.
If it's protein cookies, the thrill of potentially competing, feeling firm in a sweater, or anything else in the realm of fitness or health, rock it.
How seldom everyday life give us something to get fired up about, something that awakens us.

We witness passions everyday.  In paintings, on menus, in songs, and in the final 5 seconds of Patriot games...

Send it, share it, lift it, bake it, enjoy it, squat it, pin it, filter it, run it, ENJOY it.

That girl that's passionate about fitness, healthy living, and inspiring others?
Why not you?