Female Fitness Models - Elya McCleave
I am a fitness competitor, model and a
performer from Canada. I love being on stage ;-) I was born and raised
in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Four years ago I moved to Vancouver and I absolutely
love it here. The best part is people. Canadians are very active and
friendly ;-)
I always was into sports, but never really
had a chance to start training regularly. Only after I moved to Canada
exercising became my daily routine. I was working out for a year on
my own, and since I didn't know much about weight training/nutrition
I wasn’t getting any noticeable results. In June, 2004 I met a wonderful
person and trainer Nancy Lockington! She took me to a completely different
level… I’d say that’s when I really started working out ;)
Nancy introduced me to fitness and helped
to prepare for my very first competition FVF 2004. I feel extremely
lucky and fortunate that I had that opportunity! Competing at FVF was
awesome! I’ve learned a lot and met so many amazing people. I was hooked
;-) I started modeling and doing some promotional work, while getting
ready for West Fame 2005. At FAME I placed 3d in fitness division...
not that bad for my very first fitness competition ;-)
Another passion of mine is belly dancing
...you use the muscles that you never thought you had lol ;-) If you
have an opportunity I strongly recommend to try... it's great for fitness,
flexibility and its fun!
I'm also into boxing and jiu-jitsu. Jiu-Jitsu
is great for ladies, as you don't have to be that strong to be able
to defend yourself... it's all about the technique.
I would like to become a professional fitness
competitor. A long term-goal is to win a national title, be on the cover
of a fitness magazine and to spread the knowledge and benefits of the
fitness lifestyle. I'm currently in the process of getting my personal
trainer certification. I can't wait!
It hasn’t even been a year since I started
competing, but now I really see what an amazing journey our life can
be and I’m really looking forward to the future. I would like to thank
all the athletes out there who give back to the industry and help it
grow by encouraging others in their fitness and competitive goals. Thank
you so much!!!
