Local mother toning up
for competition

Life isn’t always what you expect it to be, it can be even better Most of us can’t imagine what it would be like to be 20 years old and be told that we have cancer, will go through early menopause and will no longer be able to bear children. Waves of depression would roll over many of us as we learned to accept the cards we had been dealt.

One Granite Falls mom, Rebbecca Johnson, had this exact experience; the shock of being diagnosed with endometriosis and low-grade cervical cancer when she was just starting her life as an adult, having to take hormone replacement therapy and the depression that came with all of it became overwhelming.

“After the birth of my second child, I had a full hysterectomy. I got put on hormones but didn’t like the way they made me feel, plus I was worried about all of the side effects,” Johnson said. “I got off my medications and went into a deep depression. I was so frustrated and confused, not understanding why all of this had happened to me, going through menopause at age 23. I was so devastated!”

One day, Johnson woke up so depressed she feared for her life. Then came the epiphany.

“Something, I believe it was God, told me to go to the gym,” Johnson said. “As absurd as it sounds, I went to Team Fitness and signed up that day.”

Johnson found a way to relieve her stress and focus her thoughts on something other than the negative feelings she had.
“I started focusing all of my negative feelings and sadness on working out, and channeling that energy into something challenging, really worked for me,” she said. “I have been training since Oct. 1, 2008.”
Johnson saw immediate results, not only emotionally but physically as well.

“I had always wanted to do fitness competitions, so I decided to pick one and train for it. Two weeks after starting at the gym, my depression was gone, I don’t have to be on hormone therapy and I am truly happy,” she said.

Johnson continued preparing to compete and chose to focus on Natural Bodybuilding. Her first competition is the Vancouver Natural on March 28 in Vancouver, Wash.

“Natural Bodybuilidng is bodybuilding without the use of steroids or other drugs,” she explains. “What’s wonderful about the natural way is that you have your natural curve and musculature and they complement each other. It is actually very feminine looking and beautiful.”

Johnson now trains with Denise James, owner of the Diet Doc, who is ranked fifth in the world for natural bodybuilding.

Johnson hopes to make exercise and fitness a full-time job someday and plans to continue training throughout her life.

“With any luck, I will make a profession out of what I’m doing,” she said. “I plan on becoming a certified personal trainer with an emphasis on nutrition. I would like to go pro and be a role model for women everywhere.”

Currently, Jay’s Market and Team Fitness are a couple of Johnson’s sponsors, but she is hoping to get a few more. If you would like to know more about Natural Bodybuilding or would like to help sponsor Johnson in return for your company name on her clothing during the competition you can call her at 253-886-8305 or rebbecca2001@hotmail.com.

Johnson and her husband have two young sons, Logan, 5 and Jake, 3. They moved from Lake Stevens to Granite Falls last November.

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