Written by Telia Dawn, 2020 Hot & Fit Winner
I can’t believe that it’s been two years already – it’s crazy how the time flies. I had an amazing experience as a cover girl for Inside Fitness; being on the cover of the 12th Annual Hot & Fit 100 has been like no other, sometimes I still can’t believe it happened.
The most impactful experience that being given this honour had for me, ultimately, was the boost of confidence I obtained being chosen as the cover girl. At the time of my shoot, I did not feel, or even consider myself necessarily “fit”, and certainly not photo shoot ready. To be honest, I felt extremely intimidated shooting during my “off-season” – yet to my surprised, despite all these feelings, I still received the news that I made the cover! That boost of confidence that I got and needed came from the Inside Fitness team. Not only did it increase during my winner’s shoot, but also during the past year – I can never put into words just how impactful this experience was and continues to be for me.
Not only was it about the boost of confidence, for my level of fitness, but the ability to share my story was something that I’ll always be grateful for. Being able to open up and receive positive feedback and embrace from others is indescribable. The support and connects that I received have been truly life changing! That is something that I cannot stop wishing for everyone to be able to experience.
I think the universe has an ironic way of teaching you life lessons. The lesson, in this case, was and is to always believe in your story & never say ‘no’ to a situation, even if you feel uncomfortable. You truly never know just what might come out of it.
I am, and will be, forever grateful for this opportunity, and I cannot wait to see who takes the cover this year! I am beyond excited to read all the inspired stories, and be inspired myself! Thank you, Inside Fitness, for opening this world up to me and congratulations to everyone who entered this competition – you took a chance, now wait to see the rewards!
The deadline for the 2022 Hot & Fit 100 is Tuesday, November 15th. To enter for free, or purchase additional photo packages, visit our Hot & Fit 100 page, and remember to dig deed and believe in yourself!