Katherine Larabia’s fitness journey began back in 2012. Similar to others getting into fitness, Katherine wanted to lose a bit of weight and reduce a bit of stress surrounding school and life. What she didn’t expect was to fall in love with her training and lifestyle.
Today, Katherine competes as a form fitness model. She’s participated in two provincial-level shows in Ontario, as well as various international shows in the United States and Canada.
And prepping for the competition is a grueling process. Katherine says, “Prepping for a competition is a test of willpower and physical strength. You are eating in a caloric deficit for upwards of 12 weeks – many of your meals being exactly the same. Every day for those 12 weeks, you must eat all your meals (usually 6 a day) and stay consistent with meal times.”
During those 12 weeks of competition prep, her diet consists of low-carb, low-fat, and high-protein foods. In addition, training takes place twice a day for 6 weeks, including a combination of cardio and resistance training.
Post-competition and after a demanding 12 weeks, the taste of nachos and a burger quenches Katherine’s food cravings. Katherine further elaborates on the difficulty in finding a balance, especially during competition prep, “The most challenging part is trying to find the proper work, social, gym balance. I believe balance is important and often competitors put their life on hold to prep. I truly believe that it’s easier when you keep some normalcy to your life.”
And on the days where she just doesn’t feel like it? Katherine reminds herself how she feels after a great workout. It motives her and fuels her to get through it. “There are days I really feel like skipping my workout but I know I’ll feel so much more energized and accomplished after,” she says.
Interestingly, Katherine cites Arnold Schwarzenegger as a big hero of hers. She states she’s inspired by how he moved to the USA from Austria with next to nothing except for big dreams. Yet today, despite any individuals who doubted him, he’s a household name. “He never gave up and never looked back,” Katherine describes.
And it gives way to her life motto, “There are plenty of difficult obstacles in your path. Don’t let yourself be one of them.”
But like many athletes, Katherine has had her share of adversary. She says, “I’ve had more injuries than I would like to admit.” From strained or torn muscles and torn ligaments to broken fingers and hernias, Katherine’s had it all. She attributes massage and physio to getting everything back to working order and allowing her to continue to compete.
In fact, her most proud entity involves taking care of her body and continually striving for physique improvements. When looking forward into the future, Katherine says, “I would like to continue working on my physique, getting stronger and inspiring others to get healthy.”
So what advice does she have for those just starting out or just getting into exercise? Katherine states, “You only get one body, so it’s imperative that you take care of it. When someone starts training, it can be frustrating at times, but you need to remember that results won’t happen overnight, so you need to stick with it and have fun.”
