Jaydi Raney

8 years ago, I was sitting in a clinic, a young mom of 32 with a baby on my hip, a toddler making crinkling noises with the paper they put on those beds in the doctor’s office, and a four-year-old sitting on the floor flipping through a board book.  

The doctor looked at me and with a somber tone said: “You’re pre-diabetic and your cholesterol is too high...I’m worried about where you’ll be in 10 or 20 years.” 

The news hit me like a ton of bricks. 

Up until this moment, I thought I was doing everything "right" to stay healthy and fit.  

Shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, generally watching what I ate and staying relatively active chasing my kiddos around.  

And while I always felt weak and tired...I had just chalked it up to “mom life.” 

His words hung in the air while thoughts of my father’s death of complications from the very same thing (just a few years before) whirled around in my mind. 

I remember taking the prescription for Metformin (a diabetic medication) and stuffing the blood sugar monitor into the diaper bag as I wrangled all three of my little boys into their car seats. 

I stood in the parking lot shivering.  

It means go out fighting. No matter what. Don’t lie down and just surrender. Never give up. And never accept your current circumstance, no matter how bleak it may seem, for what it is now instead of what it could be.   

“I ain't’ goin’ out like that.” I whispered to myself. I was going to fix this, come hell or high water.  

So I went in search of the right solution to take back control of my health, going through the most popular options one by one.   

I tried at-home fitness videos (too lonely). CrossFit (disastrous! Way too risky for me). Zumba (kinda boring and didn’t feed my need for progress).   

It wasn’t until my husband showed me a video of a famous bodybuilder named Ernestine Shepherd, who was so fit and vibrant at age 70 that I knew I had found my sport. I wanted to be that healthy when I got older.  

And I wanted to be that healthy now!

As I dove deeper, I was in awe of the long, lean and tiny bodies in gorgeous swimsuits. But I still had all kinds of questions.   

Like whether I’d have to eat chicken and broccoli every day? (Nope! This sport taught me that carbs are my friend, and that I can eat clean 80% of the time and have “fun” foods the other 20%. Hello chocolate!)   

Would I need to buy all kinds of expensive equipment? (No. All you need are some dumbbells and a bench which are available at any Walmart).  

Would it make me stiff or bulky? (No! This actually gave me a tinier, slimmer physique.)  

And eek, did I have to take weird supplements? (Not at all! Everything I consume is natural like fish oil and sunflower oil.)

Fast forward a year and, through Bikini Bodybuilding, I reversed my Type II Diabetes. Even the nurse looked at me and asked “What are you doing?! Your results are amazing.” 

I’m now a three-time nationally qualified bodybuilder with the NPC. In 2021, I will be on the road vying for the ever coveted Pro Card for acceptance into the pretentious IFBB in the Bikini Division.  

And the best part? I can keep up with and even outrun my now tween-age boys. (The look on their faces tho! LOL!) 

It’s not uncommon for them to shout: “Mom! Slow down!” 

And because I know what it’s like to struggle with a body I don’t love, or be faced with a diagnosis from the doctor that is devastating, it’s become my mission to help other moms like me master the fit mindset, start bikini bodybuilding, and crush their health goals.  

Listen, if I can do it I know with the right information and the right mindset, you too can create your own fitness plan for yourself that you will stick with for a lifetime.  

Empowering you to have the tools to “go out with your boots on”!