A different kind of sport for me…Bodybuilding?
– 17383 Lucy Cerantola (RMC 1990) (nee Rourke)
Since RMC my AERE career, followed by private sector work in the Airline industry and Helicopter manufacturing, was rewarding and exciting. Due to a move with my family in 2007 to Oakville, Ontario, I took the opportunity to turn a hobby into a main activity. As an athlete and a coach, fitness and sports have always been a part of my life. I then decided to work as a personal trainer and a group and team fitness leader because I enjoyed helping others achieve their fitness and sport-specific goals. With this new challenge, I found myself needing a new fitness goal. Bodybuilding presented itself while working and testing new training programs.
Since I was already working in several gyms, fitting the bodybuilding training and nutrition into my day seemed logical and complimentary. I began specific weight training and a nutrition program in January 2009 with a goal to progress from Level 1 through to Level 3 by June of the 2009 competition season. My primary reason for pursuing this sport was to fully experience the variety of strength and conditioning training to better apply all my knowledge in sport performance training for my own clients. What I learned most, with bodybuilding, is how nutrition plays such a huge part in our daily lives and in sport performance. Bodybuilding is an extreme test of that and it provided me with a confidence in not only conditioning/sport specific program development but especially in nutrition.
My recent journey in bodybuilding led me to the Ontario Physique Association (OPA)’s Level 3 Provincial championships
Receiving the Cmdt's Athletic Achievement Award from Cmdr Ed Murray
where I placed 3rd in the Women’s Masters category. The process has been very rewarding and educational. My next goal is to compete at the Ontario all-Natural Bodybuilding championships, in September 2009, which can lead to national and International opportunities.
Aviation, engineering and project management enabled me to appreciate what people can design and build and fitness had given me a real appreciation of what an awesome machine the human body truly is. My current work and sport have provided me with the opportunity to build a business and manage multiple contracts. I work with Cardio-Core Ontario Bootcamp (Oakville), local gyms, the town of Oakville Community centres and have my own personal training business: Lucy Cerantola Consulting… the latter allowed me to build a great framework for future contracting of project management services in the local area as well.
Lucy, her husband Franco and their two children, Eric and Maya, are living in Oakville, Ontario. Lucy can be reached at teamcerantola@cogeco.ca or lucy@cardiocoreontario.com.