Local fitness trainer advances in competition, but still needs local support
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IDAHO FALLS – A local fitness trainer is one step closer to winning a national competition.
Last month, Jo Lawrence entered a fitness competition sponsored by Muscle and Fitness Her Magazine. The winner who is crowned, “Ms. Health and Fitness,” will receive $20,000 and be featured on the cover of an upcoming issue of the magazine.
The contest relies heavily on votes from fans, and thanks to the support she’s received from many fans in eastern Idaho, Lawrence has continued to advance to the next level.
“I have until Thursday to make the top 5,” Lawrence tells EastIdahoNews.com. “Thanks to all those that have voted for me to get me this far.”
Once the top five are determined, voters will help determine one preliminary winner in each category, who will advance to the quarter-finals on July 16. Voters will then determine who advances to the semi-finals on July 23. The final winner will be determined on Aug. 5.
“This thing has too many rounds,” Lawrence says, jokingly.
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Lawrence, who has worked with hundreds of clients as a personal trainer at the YMCA in Idaho Falls, first heard about the contest from a friend of hers who suggested she apply. Lawrence is not a huge fan of social media, but as she looked into it, she decided to give it a try.
“I thought, What the heck! Why not!,” Lawrence told us in June. “I try to stay fit and strong and healthy for my clients, my family and my kids as an example.”
Lawrence is also a personal trainer at Melaleuca.
Physical fitness has been important to Lawrence since she was a child. One of the things that drew her to that lifestyle was the example of those around her.
“My stepmom was a big woman. I loved to work out and run but I also loved to eat. She would say, ‘If you keep doing that, you’re going to look like me one day.’ I saw how unhealthy she was and I did not want that to be me. I swore then that I would not be like that,” Lawrence explains.
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Lawrence says she was a cardio junkie throughout her early adult years for the purpose of staying lean and fit. She never really had a specific goal in mind until she turned 39.
That’s when her expectations became a lot bigger.
“When I turned 39, my goal before I hit 40 was to do a competition. I wanted to reshape my whole body. I’ve been addicted since then,” she says.
Lawrence is now 51 and after this competition, her next goal is to start training to climb to the base camp of Mt. Everest.
Lawrence would like to win the competition and she needs your help to get there. Voting for the top 5 is open until July 8 at 8 p.m. If she makes it to the top 5, voters have until July 15 to help her get to the quarter-finals. There is no limit on how many times you can vote, she says, but you’re only allowed one vote a day.
To cast your vote or learn more, click here.