NATURAL BODIES FEATURES RAW BIKINI FITNESS MODEL “MICHELLE BATTERMANN”
Becoming Raw:
I have been involved in the health, beauty, and fitness industries for over 17 years. It was in 2000 that things really started to shift for me. Holistic health not only ripened as a strong passion, it inevitably became my way of life and living. Holistic health involves the balance and natural optimal health of all systems and elements of the body, mind, spirit; mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Holistic health is about coming into balance with all these aspects of the body naturally; allowing nature and being to become one. And this is what I sought after for myself.
As my passion for holistic health deepened, health became my number one priority in life, as without health there is no life. I had sacrificed much in the way of living a healthy lifestyle. While many were on shopping sprees buying clothes and gadgets, I saved to eat only the most healthful foods I could, organic whole fresh vegetarian and vegan foods. There was nothing I’d rather do than to feed my body only the most nutritious life giving and life supporting foods to ensure that my body was healthy, that I was healthy and vibrant.
It was eleven years ago that I became vegetarian, and not only because I felt it was a healthier way of eating and living, but also because I never could really stomach the idea of eating flesh based foods. During this time I also became a personal trainer and a nutrition specialist. It was the nutrition that really drew me in, because optimal health starts with good nutrition and what we take into our bodies. Every trainer will say that nutrition is about 80% of the health and fitness equation while exercising is the other 20%. As my passion for holistic health and nutrition evolved so did my passion for fitness.
Shortly after becoming certified as a personal trainer, ten years ago I started weight training and mentored under competitive and ex competitive bodybuilders. I learned how to train like a bodybuilder, however, there was one problem, I was a vegan at this point. The comments and persuasion began: “you need to eat meat to build muscle”, “you need animal protein”, “you need to at least eat some egg whites and whey protein if you’re going to be a strength athlete and competitor”, “you won’t have the strength to train without animal protein”, “vegans can not achieve full round hard muscles”, “your muscles will look spongy if you don’t eat animal protein”; and the list goes on.
Michelle’s Raw Body
Although I continued to struggle with the whole animal protein vs. vegetable protein and wanting to continue to build muscle and compete, I consistently gravitated towards a raw vegan diet. Ironically, it was precisely being involved in an industry heavily tainted with animal protein and highly processed, synthetic, and artificial foods and supplements that shifted me out of the polluted unhealthy standards of nutrition and fitness, and shifted me to a true paradigm of health, fitness, and longevity. Regardless of what, my goal has always been to achieve optimal health and a balanced mind, body, spirit full of vitality and life force. For over the last 4 years I have been 80% raw.
Now as I continue to venture into my competitive endeavors I no longer have to waver as I have rediscovered and totally embrace this higher destiny of healthful spiritual eating, and train and compete on a 100% raw vegan diet! My diet now consists of raw vegetables and fruits, sprouted nuts, seeds and grains (non-gluten), sea vegetables and algaes, greens and grasses, sprouts, and superfoods. My diet is completely organic, whole (unprocessed), fresh, raw, living, full of life force, and vegan; free of anything cooked, devitalized, processed, manufactured, synthetic, genetically modified, artificially preserved, flavored, or colored: only consisting of what nature provides, only what is pure and suitable for the body, only what is best for the body to assimilate and absorb, only what will fuel the body, only what is fortifying for the body, only what will give LIFE to the body. Nutrition for a living body equates to eating healthful living vibrant foods, bottom line.
This year, 2011, I plan to compete as the first ever 100% raw vegan Bikini Fitness Competitor/athlete (NPC) as well as compete in several track and field events. I’m embarking on a journey to achieve something never done before in the world of bodybuilding and that is to achieve pro status (IFBB) and make it to the Olympia as the first ever 100% natural raw vegan IFBB Pro Bikini Athlete.
For more info on Michelle check out: http://www.thairapeutics.com/about.html
