Oxygen Australia — January-February 2018

oxygenmagAU Jan/Feb 2018 127

Jessica photo:

James Patrick |

Samantha photo:

James Patrick |

Flavia photo:

Dallas Olsen

INSPIRATION

Fitness tip: Focus on creating habits and

behaviours that support your goals versus

relying on external motivation. Motivation

and willpower can be fleeting, but discipline

and perseverance will always help you to

achieve your fitness goals.

Quote she lives by: ‘Decide. Commit.

Achieve.’ It’s simple, straightforward, and

inspires action. No sense wasting time

dreaming about achievements when you can

go do it.

Favourite cheat food: I love all types of

food and try not to restrict my regular diet

to cut any food groups out, but I do limit my

intake of sweets and dairy when I’m dieting.

So when I do treat myself, once or twice a

month, it’s always with ice cream!

Motivation: As with Brazilian culture,

girls are really fit and train all the time. I was

skinny and I always wanted to look good and

be happy with my reflection. My mum was

my biggest motivation. She used to go to the

gym every day, and we are really close (she

is my best friend). One day I said, ‘Mum,

can I go with you and do the same class?’ At

the time, she was doing those step classes,

moving and dancing — I didn’t do well to be

honest, but I loved the environment and how

people were happy and friendly. Since then, I

haven’t stopped training.

Advice: There is no ‘best shape’. I once

got into this mindset and it just made me

unhappy with myself and goals. You must

love yourself, your body, your mind, and

your soul and accept who you are. Aim for

improvements, but not perfection. Perfect

is relative and, for me, it doesn’t exist. Your

body is different to mine and to the other

girl training next to you. You must accept

your differences and shape. Keep training

and focus on yourself and your body’s

characteristics.

Contest highlight: WBFF 2017 Gold

Coast. It was when I won my Pro Card and

found my purpose in life.

Jessica Clark

Austin,

Texa s

Height: 182cm

Weight: 72kg

Flavia Basile

Sydney,

New South Wales

Height: 167cm

Weight: 60kg

Samantha Kozuch

Hollywood,

California

Height: 177cm

Weight: 61kg

Previous accomplishments: If you

were able to see my old bedroom at my

parents’ house from my childhood years,

you’d see a wall full of medals, plaques, and

trophies. I played at a Varsity [university]

level in anything I participated in and always

competed at state competitions. It’s always

good to visit home and look back on my

fitness accomplishments.

Favourite training move: Leg day is my

favourite day, so it would have to be a lower-

body circuit consisting of weighted squats,

plyo box jumps, weighted step-ups and leg

press — anything targeting the booty is my

favourite!

Favourite non-cheat food: I love to cook

and I love food, so it’s hard to pick just one,

but I have a lemon herb chicken dish that I

cook along with sweet potatoes and brussell

sprouts that is mouth-wateringly delicious,

so that would be my favourite. Healthy meals

don’t have to be bland and boring; I use lots

of different spices and sauces to keep my

dishes tasty and flavourful.