Heather Wojdyla - Interview with Figure Competitor Heather Wojdyla

Figure competitor Heather Wojdyla shares with us how she got started in figure competition, her training and diet philosophies, and how she beat Anorexia and Bulimia by following the bodybuilding lifestyle.

Stats:
DOB: March 11, 1984
Hair: Blonde/Brown
Eyes: Green
Height: 5’9’’
Weight: Competition-130lbs/Off-season-135-140lbs
Years Training and Competing: Training-6 Competing-1
Favorite Bodypart: Back and Abs
Strongest Bodypart: Back
Favorite Supplements: Multi-vitamin, Optimum Nutrition Chocolate Mint Whey Protein, and Flax seed oil
Measurements: 34C-26-34

Introduction

Hello Heather! Congratulations on your outstanding performance in the last two shows. You looked fantastic! Especially on the Natural USA Championships where you took your class, it being only your second show!

Why don't we start at the beginning and you tell our readers how is it that you got started in Figure Competition?

Thank you Hugo. No problem, we can start at the beginning.

I was born just outside of Chicago, IL in the small town of Villa Park. I grew up as a very active child and eventually chose basketball as my sport of choice. After following year round training, traveling, and tournaments, my body suffered its first serious injury. In my sophomore year of high school I suffered a torn ACL; this is when I was first introduced to weight training. I loved how I felt when I was lifting in physical therapy and at the local health club, but I did it with my main goal of returning to the basketball court. After eight solid months of rehab, I was back out on the courts, but it was never the same. I finished out my high school basketball career, played one year at The University of Tampa and eventually realized that my passion was in the gym.

Interesting. Many bodybuilders and figure athletes typically get introduced to weight training through rehab for an injury caused by another sport. So if you were training, how is it that you acquired eating disorders?

I continued lifting heavy, but still found myself gaining the “Freshman 15.” I was training hard, but I didn’t know how to eat properly. I was confused on how I could be working out so much yet still gaining weight. This is when my mind started playing tricks on me and I tried everything possible to achieve the “perfect” body. I fell a victim to both anorexia and bulimia. I spent my days working out and not eating; I was getting smaller and smaller, but couldn’t keep up with the starvation I was putting myself through. I was complimented on my improving physique and needed to find a way to keep it up. Next, bulimia entered my life. I got to a point where this was consuming my life and I hated it. I began to research the disorders and finally opened up to my family and a few close friends. This was one of the hardest things that I had to face. I put all my efforts into becoming healthy and learning everything I could about the human body, training, and nutrition.