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Hayward, Wilson muscle in on bodybuilding world By EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer As a long-time fitness instructor and former owner of a local gym, Georgetown South's Kellie Hayward never needed to make a New Year's resolution to keep stay in good physical shape. But the 47-year-old business professor at Sheridan College and mother of three decided a few months ago to take her physical conditioning in a different and more challenging direction, entering in bodybuilding-related competitions. Encouraged by her 18-year-old son Corey, who has also recently taken up the sport, Hayward began training with professional bodybuilder Neil Flores of Generations Physiotherapy in Georgetown South and entered her first Ontario Physique Association event in Kitchener in October, placing second in the women's Grand Masters (over45) Figure category and sixth in the Short Figure (5-foot-2 & under) class. For someone who was used to cardiovascular-driven workouts like long-distance running and triathlons, training for bodybuilding required a drastic shift in lifestyle, from diet to employing free weights. Hayward credits husband Bruce and her children in taking a team approach to her daily routine, such as helping her prepare the many protein-laden meals per day she needs to maintain her training. Youngest son Cole, a hockey goalie with the Halton AAA Hurricanes, was taken aback when he realized that someone else in the household was now competing for space in the trophy collection. "It's been a real mindset change," said Hayward, who has also developed fitness-related certification programs at Sheridan. "I started training May 1 and it's been a really great learning experience. There's so much more to it than just the diet and the training-- the aesthetics, the spray tan, the fingernails-- and I've embraced all of that fully. I'm still spending the same amount of time training, but now we're doing it more wisely, lifting weights in a smart and proper way to make it more effective, because if you're going to do it, you have to give it 100 per cent." Hayward also finished second in the Grand Masters division at a competition last month in London, Ont., and received an invitation to take part in a provincial qualifier in Cobourg in April. She trains six days a week for one to two hours a day and auditions her on-stage routine for the family in the ··· Like Hayward, 20-year-old Alex Wilson had already developed a passion for working out regularly when someone suggested giving bodybuilding a try. A former AAA hockey player, Wilson began lifting weights in Grade 12 as part of a body works course and found his 5-foot-9 frame could better withstand the physical rigours on the ice. Initially thinking landscape architecture would be his vocation, the Georgetown South resident took fitness and health classes at Fanshawe College in London and joined a "an old-school gym with a competitive edge." A friend took him to a Level 2 professional bodybuilding show in Toronto last summer as a spectator and Wilson was won over by its production and atmosphere. He approached the department head at Fanshawe about taking his courses on-line in order to return home and commit to training full-time, immersing himself in a workout routine for seven weeks leading up to his debut at the London Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure & Bikini Championships in late November. Despite being a complete novice, going by the advice of friends into fitness modeling, watching Mr. Olympia videos and reading magazines, Wilson not only won the junior men's division in his first show, but he also took top spot in the men's light heavyweight class at a trimmed-down 192 pounds. "People are surprised that I've been at this for such a short duration of ALEX WILSON time compared to people who've been doing it for years. I shocked myself by winning the light heavyweight title," said Wilson, who often visits the grocery store more than once a day for items such as tilapia fish and chicken, measuring the ingredients exactly for protein content. "I practised my routine every day, constantly walking around the house kind of awkwardly, just trying to learn things and on the show day it all came together." This week, Wilson accepted a sponsorship deal with Vancouver-based nutritional supplement company Nutrabolics and he's considering switching his studies to the University of Guelph's kinesiology program in September. "I'd like to keep the ball rolling with the show aspect and taking it to even becoming a pro at this one day." SPORTS & LEISURE 11 The IFP · Halton Hills, Thursday, January 5, 2012 Georgetown South's Kellie Hayward has only been in training for bodybuilding shows for eight months but has fared well against much-younger competition. Submitted photo basement. Even though Hayward teaches classes in front of dozens of students, performing the routines at bodybuilding shows took some getting used to and she signed up for posing workshops to prepare. "Just before I went on stage for my first show, it was a little nerve-wracking because the stage manager said to the competitors, `Oh, by the way, there's a trap door on stage, so you'll have to really watch out for it,'" Hayward recalled, laughing. "So not only are you posing and doing all these other things but you have to be wary of this trap door. I think I did well and it felt good out there. I was worried I was going to fall flat on my rear end, but I got good feedback from my first two shows, so that was encouraging. 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