Fitness Model Interview:Tamara Carousos |
Interview Questions: 1. What's your background? How did you get started in the fitness industry? Believe it or not, I got started in fitness accidentally! I was very overweight and had health issues. I was having heart palpitations that were getting quite frequent. My cardiologist suggested I lose 20 pounds to see if that would help. I really needed to lose a lot more! I started taking Kenpo Karate and did lose the 20 pounds! But I was still having problems. So at Christmas time, my husband gave me an entry form for MaxMuscle's MaxFormation. I entered it and with the love and support of my husband, I was able to lose a total of 55 pds.! I won my class with the contest and had other people tell me that I should compete. Having a goal was critical to my success in losing the weight, so I decided to compete in a small bodybuilding show. After that, I was hooked! When the new Figure division came out, I switched over, because I felt it fit me better. I love competing in figure and hope they always have this division! It is so popular now, because it allows women who train hard to show off their results in a very feminine way. Max Muscle ran a large article on me in their magazine and that allowed me to start fitness modeling. I now have a website where I answer questions for people to help them achieve their fitness goals! I also train people and make appearances and model!
My biggest fitness-related accomplishment is the fact that by losing the weight and competing, I have been able to inspire others to achieve healthier lifestyles. I trained my 72 year old Mother for the MaxFormation last year. And guess what? SHE WON! She trained so hard and we adjusted her routine and diet to fit her lifestyle and her special needs as an older person. I am so proud of the fact that she was able to lose 35pds. and has kept the weight off now for over a year! She walks every morning and she is a shining example for women everywhere that it is never too late to change your life!
Fitness modeling and competing take up a large part of my time. I run www.tamaracarousos.com which just went up! I will shortly have an on-line store and also a members area for people to learn more about what I do and give them greater tips and help with meal-planning, workout routines and inspiration! I customize each workout for them, so they can still live their life without giving up too much time with their family! I also am a motivational speaker. I will be speaking January 4th at the Sacramento Fitness Expo. I am very honored to have been chosen to speak and will address the needs of women in the fitness industry. Besides modeling at trade shows on a regular basis, I also run my other business called Extreme Outback Products! www.extremeoutback.com We import high-quality off-road and motorcycle gear from Australia. I have been able to combine both of my businesses, because of the sport of 4-wheeling and motorcycle racing. I feel very blessed to be able to do both!
Goals are very important to me! I plan my year out in advance and choose the shows I want to compete in so that I know exactly how much time I have to diet and train. I am competing March 8th, in the IFBB Grand Prix in Berkeley. I will be competing in both the open and master's figure class! Long term goals include competing at the national level and possibly the pro level if I am able to take it that far! I wish to continue my writing, either through a fitness publication or by writing my own book on fitness. And I want to continue to give back to the community by talking to children at their schools about the importance of fitness and healthy eating. I have two children of my own and I know the challenges parents face when it comes to being creative with their meals! I would love to write a children's fitness cookbook, where they can create fun recipes that are healthy and enjoyable. I also will continue to train in the martial arts and currently model for CFW Enterprises. www.cfwenterprises.com Showing that women can be strong and still feminine is important. The martial arts has provided me with the skills to live my life with confidence.
Depending on whether I am competing or not, I usually get up around 5:00am and do 30 minutes of hard cardio on my treadmill. I wait one hour, and then eat my breakfast. I get the kids ready for school and then after dropping them off, head to work. I answer emails in the early part of the day and work on my website, or with my clients. With that time, I work hard for Extreme Outback Products by filling orders and talking with dealers. After work, I head home, feed the kids, do homework and then it is off to the gym. I train for about 1 and a half hours and then come home. If I am competing and it is close to competition time, I do my second session of cardio and then eat! If I have any energy left, I pick up the house and write down my workout and diet for the day. I am in bed normally by 11:00pm! I try to spend as much time with my children as I can. Being in the fitness world is very exciting, but being a Mother comes first with me and I would never want them to think I put it ahead of them! They are very proud of their Mom and it shows when you ask them! And they understand that when mama is competing, she has to go to the gym, eat a certain way and maybe miss out on some of the other things that normal mommies do! But I always make special time just for them by taking them somewhere special when I am not competing. And I take them to almost all my shows! They are the loudest fans in the audience!
Typically, if I am competing, I eat a higher protein diet with moderate carbs. And then about 1 week out, I cut the carbs out almost altogether. I am a smaller person, so in order to look large on stage, I work hard at gaining muscle mass. Here is what a normal day may look like for me! 1. Breakfast- 4 eggs/two whites/two yolks
I use the push/pull theory: Monday- Chest/Triceps/Abs
I do cardio 3 times a week on the treadmill and 5-6 times a week during contest season. I also do split cardio to really get my metabolism going! I am just now starting a new program that is different than the above one! I need to gain muscle mass so we are switching over to this more advanced routine. If anyone is interested, I would be happy to write an article on it for an upcoming issue!
I am very basic when it comes to supplements! I take a multi-vitamin to ensure I get all the nutrients I need when I am competing. I also take glutamine to aid in recovery of my muscles after a tough workout. I cycle creatine throughout the year and really feel it has helped me to grow! Protein bars and protein powders are important as well! I love MaxHigh 5 in Chocolate, because not only does it taste good, but it is a blend of 5 different proteins which last longer in your system! I also take CLA, which helps to metabolize and burn fat. When I am about 4 weeks out from a competition, I do take a thermogenic product also to help speed up my metabolism even more!
What motivates me is my competition and making appearances! I know I need to stay in great shape year round so I can look good whenever I need to be on TV, or at a show. I always monitor how I look and turn it up a notch when I need to! I love to listen to music when I am walking also. I also love to visit other websites to help motivate me further! I love seeing what other competitors are doing to stay in shape and further their careers! Getting emails from people also helps me to stay in shape! I live what I preach and I feel this is very important!
My favorite website is www.monicabrant.com! She was my inspiration to get and stay in shape and now she has me listed as one of her favorite sites! I am so honored! She is truly a great person, inside and out! www.jennyh.com Jenny has helped me tremendously with answers to my questions and she has a great forum going, just like Monica! There are a lot of great people there to answer your questions and I post on both of them. You meet the neatest people there!
My advice would be to investigate what you want to do first! If you really want to be a fitness model, make sure you can spend the time training and keeping up with your website and contacts. It is very important to be a good role model for other women in the sport! Because I am 40, I appeal to a wider market, and I don't compete with the 18-25 year olds when it comes to certain work. I know this and it doesn't bother me! I want ALL women to realize that you can do what you want if you maintain a positive attitude and work hard! Know your limitations and work on your attributes! There are many nutrition companies out there that realize that the demographics of fitness are changing! Older models are in high demand now, because they appeal to all markets! Monica Chang is a prime example of this! She works for Pinnacle as a model and she also lost a great amount of weight! She is a mother and competes in fitness also. www.monicachang.com We are friends now and support each other with our careers! It is very important to have that fitness network to help you with your questions and support! I am truly blessed to have such great friends in the fitness world!
1. Create a goal for yourself!
The biggest thing that differentiates me is the fact that I lost 55pds. to get where I am today. And also the fact that I am 40! I have a lot of compassion for people and when I train them they know that I have been there! I understand what it feels like to raid the frig at 1:00 in the morning! I am not perfect and I admit this! But I work very hard at helping others and always make myself available to them! I have a lot of patience when it comes to helping others no matter what the circumstances are! Everyone has to start somewhere! I am very driven also. But I have learned the most important thing! It doesn't matter if I win first place when I compete. What matters most is how I act on stage and represent myself 24hours a day. Being professional is very important and it doesn't stop when I go home from an appearance or a competition! You never know who you will run into!
I would like to thank Fitness-Model-Advice.com for asking me to do this interview! It was a lot of fun! I am available for appearances, seminars and training. You may contact me through my website at www.tamaracarousos.com or tamara@tamaracarousos.com I am also looking for sponsorship from either a fitness clothing company or nutrition company. I have many competitions planned for 2003, so contact me if you would like me to work your booth! Thank you again and I hope to hear from all of you! BELIEVE~ACHIEVE~SUCCEED!
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