About the Writer
My name is Michelle and this is my little blog. I started it in 2012 when it was my fitness blog when I was making a living as a personal trainer. It has since morphed into a blog about my Catholic faith and my enthusiasm for Theology of the Body.
What’s with the title?
The title The Joyful Celibate was inspired by the words of the late great Saint – John Paul II and his famous work “Theology of the Body,” and specifically, this paragraph from author Christopher West in his book “Theology of the Body Explained” which states:
Celibacy emphasizes that man is called to be a “Partner of the Absolute” – that his deepest yearning is not for the marriage of earth, but for the marriage of heaven. When viewed in light of “the kingdom,” the celibate person loses nothing and gains everything! The joyful celibate testifies that heaven is real. And it is worth sacrificing everything to possess. – Christopher West – Theology of the Body Explained
The Joyful Celibate 
Good luck to you, Michelle. After leaving Life Time, I have lost about 13 pounds and I am in much better shape. My goal is to lose 10 more pounds. It is so much easier to do when you are not doing it alone. I will stick with teaching my group classes, but I will also be checking out your blog for motivation. Thanks for putting yourself out there!
That’s so awesome Julie!!! 🙂 I wish you the best of luck too and thank you so much for following me! Really appreciate the support. Keep us updated!
Great blog and idea, Michelle. Good for you!
As a fellow competitor, I’m looking forward to following your blog! 🙂 I’ve been looking for any inspiration sources to keep myself accountable as I find a “happy normal” before building muscle and prepping for another contest. Your blog will definitely be one of my “go-to’s”! Thank you!
Nominated you for the Leibster Award. 😉 Hope you will accept! It’s a great way to spread the word about fellow bloggers!
http://fesbigthoughts.wordpress.com/2013/04/02/liebster-blog-award/
Oh thank you! I’ve been feeling quite de-motivated lately so it helps to know I have people following my journey. 🙂 Helps hold ME accountable as well.
OMG Thank you for the nomination!! YAY! I’m going to blog about this right now…This just made my night. 🙂
I WANT TO DO THIS! I’ve always dreamed of getting my body in that kind of shape but felt like its too late. I’m 46 and generally healthy but have messed up my metabolism from years of HCG dieting. I am active and eat fairly healthy but can’t seem to figure out how to get the body of my dreams. I work full-time and don’t know if I’d have the time to give at the gym. Where do I even start? I’d LOVE to get my body in competition shape!
Kimberly,
You TOTALLY can do this at ANY age. It is definitely never too late to start. Start looking for a coach/trainer to get you started either at your gym or online. I prefer one-on-one as opposed to going online but then again. my coach is all online. I suppose it depends on how well you think you will adhere to a plan. Search blogs like this one and FB pages for professionals and people who have done what you want to do and see what their all about. It can be done safely and in a timely fashion – you don’t have to spend hours at the gym to get into shape. I would argue that diet is 80% of the equation. The first person I would get on board with is Dr. Layne Norton. He is the GURU when it comes to competition prep dieting and recovering from metabolic damage. Watch his videos and take his advice. He’s totally booked himself but he can recommend a list of coaches online to start with if you go that route. Don’t give up on your dreams Kimberly! It might take a few years to FULLY recover but it will happen. Be sure to report back on your progress and who knows, maybe I’ll be interviewing YOU someday after you make your transformation. 🙂
I found your blog tonight and I am so excited to read more. I made the decision to change my life, get healthy and finally get the body I have always wanted to have. After 3 babies in 2 1/2 years (twins and a single) my body is not in great shape. That said, I know anything is possible if you work hard enough, right? I am researching now, looking for a trainer who can help me get into the best shape of my life. I will be 34 in a few weeks. It is my goal to get on stage and compete by the time I am 35. I dont care if I place dead last- my true goal is to have the CONFIDENCE to put myself in a situation that makes me really nervous. Enough rambling! Thanks for this blog! I am now a big fan!
Oh Meghan thank you SO much for commenting. I am very excited for you and can’t wait to see you take the stage. You’re right, it’s all about gaining that confidence to put yourself out there. It takes guts to do it but I have no doubt you will do it if you put your heart into it. Please report back on your progress and we can do an interview for the blog! 🙂
Best of luck!
Just happened to stumble across this site as I was looking through blogs in preparation for my first figure competition in July. Thank you!! I now have hours of fantastic reading material to peruse through 🙂
Awwww thanks Melissa!!!! This makes me so happy. Yes, it’s interesting if you read my first posts up until the competition. I definitely struggled towards the end there. I started out losing too much weight too quickly and then when it was time to lean out, I did diet down but obviously a little too much because there wasn’t enough muscle to work with. NOW, I also experimented with IIFYM diet and then to a more specific meal plan. Now I’m kinda in between but I respect both approached. okay sorry for the rambling, let me know if you have any questions about my journey along the way. I’m currently in another build phase so I can attempt another competition in August. 🙂
Thank you so much for the quick reply Michelle! 🙂 I haven’t had a chance to read through much yet, but it seems like you have had quite the experience! I was/am in a bit of a building phase right now until March 1st. I’m going on a 1-week trip to Central America in February and will be in official contest prep mode when I get back! Affording a coach at this point (although this may change) unfortunately isn’t an option, but my partner is a personal trainer and bodybuilder, so having him around definitely helps. Admittedly, the part that scares me the most is the diet. Working out isn’t an issue as I absolutely love to do it, but the diet aspect is a bit terrifying, so I’m looking forward to reading/learning about your own experiences with it!
It’s still Melissa btw! I just realized I was logged in under my old account, so made the switch before I replied again, sorry about that 🙂
I knew it was you. 🙂
[…] I want to get it all out, I plan on blogging about my journey to TOB here. Just as I documented my “Journey to the Stage” in my first figure competition, I plan to blog about my TOB journey as well on this […]
Refreshing to see someone READING AND BELIEVING in Theology of the Body….GOOD FOR YOU!
Oh I’m obsessed with it. Prepare for an onslaught of TOB all up in your grill John B. I’m on a mission! 🙂