Q: I’m interviewing Udenia Icenhour today. She has done the body for life challenge several times and has had some experiences that I think will be very helpful to all of us, but especially to women who feel like they are just too busy with lives filled with stress, craziness and multiple demands of others. These ladies want to change, but they just can hardly see out of the hole they are in right now. So, Udenia, let’s start with a bit about you, your background, your career, your family growing up, your family now, and what you’re doing now.
- I was born and raised in NC and was brought up on fried everything and sweet ice tea. When I was only 6 years old, I was playing outside and a family friend who was a Navy Recruiter at the time came by and gave me some gifts from the USN (United States Navy). I was mesmerized, and said to myself, “Any place that will give me bumper stickers and Frisbees was the place for me!” Even though I was only 6, I knew that I wanted to wear that sharp uniform and serve my country, so my future was already set in stone. I always thought I would serve 20 years, but ended up with 22 years instead.
Growing up I was always known as the “over achiever” in the family, striving to make the best grades in school no matter what. But I was never the first girl to be selected for team sports, or to dance or skate for example. I hated that, and I think maybe it had something to do with my being chunky all the way up through high school. What I am doing now? Well I’m a single mother, recently retired from the USNavy, trying to complete my Bachelor Degree In Human Resources Development. I won’t stop there! After a short break in April and May, I start on a Masters in Early Childhood Education and Cross-Cultural Special Education, through the University of Phoenix. I have to find a way to help my son win his battle with autism. I’m living on retirement pay from the Navy and can’t work right now due to my son’s school schedule. He gets out pretty early and there are no daycare openings for him, so I get along with the retirement pay and school loans for attending college.
Q. How did you first learn about Body for Life and when did you do your first challenge?
A. In 1997, I was stationed at Patrol Squadron 47 based out of Hawaii and our unit was deployed to Diego Garcia, a small island right near the equator. One of my friends brought a Muscle Media magazine with an ad for the first ever BFL competition. I spent $20 on a phone card and I ended up using the entire amount of that card just to get through to BFL and I never even received my entry packet. I was bummed out. But, since I was returned to Hawaii and close to transferring to San Diego, I lost focus on the competition and concentrated on moving my belongings to California. In December 1999, I was able to make it up to Northern California Mall after sitting in rush hour traffic for over 5 hours. I stood in line at the mall just to get my picture taken with Bill and Shawn Phillips and to ice the cake, I met Porter Freeman and Bill’s mother Suzanne. It was worth every penny and moment of time. I completed my first challenge ever early 2000 and I placed in the top 6% out of 200,000 people. I received a special certificate personally signed by Bill Phillips. Q. What is the best challenge you’ve done so far, in terms of weight loss and body transformation? My best challenge was my last one that I completed in May of 2006 and was a featured challenger on the BFL website. I lost 30lbs and reduced my body fat over 10%. It was a great challenge and I was on top of the world. Then, a few people with evil motives decided to go on to every website associated with BFL and trash my name. These dirty trick artists started a new blog with my name and pictures on it and went around to fellow BFL’ers blogs, leaving comments in my name. They turned a glorious time of my life into a nightmare. Thank God for people who came to my rescue, Linda Smith, and BFL champions Tracy Jeffries and Jerry Braam. Still many people were fooled and were more interested in the lies than what I had accomplished through my very own will and determination. It was an extremely difficult time in my life. Q Yikes! I remember seeing some of that horrible stuff, and I know those people lost their web privileges due to that, but how in the world were you able to put that behind you?A. A very sweet girl wrote me a long note on how to handle people who hate and love to sabotage others. I still read that to this day. I also learned that some of the champions have encountered similar efforts against them. I choose not to waste my time hating them, because I don’t want to become like they are.
Q I recall a long while back you were trying to follow the diet while aboard ship! What was it like trying to eat right while eating from a ship’s mess?
4. Trying to follow a clean diet on a Naval Ship is almost impossible. I can remember we were out in the middle of the Persian Gulf and I was trying to do a challenge and the “healthy food” was far and in between. When we did get salad stuff, most of it was old and just flat out nasty and all the meats were cooked in some sort of grease, even the baked meats, so it was very hard but I still managed to lose 20lbs of the weight that I gained during my pregnancy. I still had a long way to go but I knew I would do it.
Q You’ve gone on a cruise, and you’ve been to some other body for life events. Have those helped you in your BFL journey? Would you recommend them to others? Why?
5. All BFL functions have a special meaning to me because I get to see my friends that I have made online and through challenges, and the events help me to regain focus. The cruise was more R&R for me because I hadn’t had a break from my son since he was born. So, it was great to relax and act silly with Linda, Bianca and many more of my BFL Buddies. I got hugs from Abb Ansley and his beautiful wife Lise. However, it was my BFL family and the Tennessee Championship Weekend that helped me get through this difficult year. Because of all the trials and tribulations I had to endure in 2007, I had gained 40lbs of my weight back and I was feeling terrible about it. But, I was too strong to HIDE because of it and I wanted to go and be surrounded by Champions. Listening to the guest speakers tell their stories was a very genuine way of helping me see clearly through all my obstacles, so when I walked away from that weekend, I knew 2008 was going to be my year!
Q. This is the one I really want to know about. You have moved halfway across the world; retired from one career and are training for another; you have a son with some difficult challenges of his own—and you’re a single parent—yet so me how you are getting it done! How???
6. Well I am sure that all of us have our trials and tribulations to endure. Me, I was no different, I have had my share. However, when I was told my son has autism, I honestly didn’t think it could get any worse, but I was SO WRONG. To simply put it, my life was pure hell in 2007. My right shoulder and back both flared up, and my feet hurt from just standing. But, I never gave up and knew I would make it through. But what did shake the very ground I was standing on was moving myself and my son from Hawaii to North Carolina. I never thought those summer months of 2007 would be my biggest test of all. My son had an extremely difficult time adjusting to his new surroundings, being out of school, and having no structured environment. It almost seemed that he hated me for that. With every outburst of anger came hitting and spitting and throwing himself down in the middle of the road at any given time and I was not ready for that. At one point, I could barely walk and my feet hurt so bad from him hitting them with whatever toy he had in his hands, and my house sure took a beating as well. He banged many holes in the walls and at one point, I didn’t think I could handle this anymore; I dropped to the floor in the living room and just cried. I could barely bend over or walk and at this point didn’t even have time to cook a decent meal. Even through all this heartache I knew that I would make it and this was only temporary. I actually stayed sick for almost 6 months, wasn’t sleeping, and was worst of all alone during this whole thing. Looking back at 2007, and where I was in 2006, I knew in my heart that if I made it through 2007, I could make it through anything, and that I was even stronger than I realized, because I had endured this all on my own. I knew I had to get back to where I was in 2006 and I visualized the feelings I had, the exhilaration from completing a workout and posing in my suits. It was the best feeling in the world and taking this journey now, will be one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, but it is a journey I will make. I knew I would make it through because many years before this, BFL had given me the tools to get it done. Even though I was mentally and physically worn out, I knew I would get it back and I am! I had to set priorities and create a check list of what I had to do to make this happen. Before I could complete a challenge there were some things I had to do so I made a list: 1) Take care of my son’s needs first, get him settled and on his way to a structured environment. 2) Concentrate on my health– I was sick for so long didn’t know what was going on, so I went for a complete physical at the VA hospital and got that started. During all of this I was still attending college online! I was looking for the catalyst to launch me into 2008 and that was the Tennessee Championship Weekend. I knew I was 40lbs overweight and sick as a dog but I didn’t HIDE, I went with pride because I knew that BFL is for LIFE, not just 12 weeks. Some people can do just one challenge and then you never hear from them again, but not me. But the truth is that you’re never done, BFL is just that, BODY FOR LIFE, not just 12 weeks. Q What would you say to other ladies out there who are stuck—who have started and stopped several times, and are always derailed by those unanticipated adversities that come along? 7. The very first thing they should know is that they should be proud of themselves for even starting. Don’t let an obstacle that life has thrown your way become a reason to give up. Assess where you are; see what it will take to complete the challenge, and do what you can do. Again, it is BFL, not for one day or one week, but for life–and life will happen. Life threw me some wicked curveballs last year but I knew it wasn’t going to keep me down forever, I would be back AND I AM! Do that one thing, even if it is only eating clean, or going for a walk, or–like me–carrying your child around on your back while you hike the stairs in your house for your cardio. Whatever it takes! That in itself will empower you and give you such control and thus increase your power in accomplishing the goals you have set in front of yourself! It is so empowering to HAVE CONTROL! Only people that have no Faith in themselves and the big man upstairs will give up so easily. Again LIFE IS NOT EASY and it is NOT NICE. Pick yourself up and prove to yourself that YOU CAN DO IT! YOU ARE WORTH EVERY EFFORT that is required to accomplish this goal. In the end, you will see a reflection in the mirror that you are proud of, a shining example of what Body For Life is all about!
Q. What are your current goals, and what is your current diet like?
A. My current goals are to complete 4 challenges this year, this one in particular will be used to get back to a healthy state in my life and to improve the overall health and to reduce the intensity of my current injuries. My diet, for breakfast I will switch between shakes, egg white omelet, and stir fry vegetables with egg whites. I am partial to fish tacos and chicken enchiladas and I just love my Sun-dried Tomatoes and Garlic Crusted Salmon with vegetables. However, I do find myself drinking a lot of shakes, depending on how my son’s day is going. There have been a few days especially during these recent winter storms, where I drank 4 shakes in one day.
Q. What do you think most people don’t know about you that would surprise them when they heard it?
I knew when I was 6 years old, I was going to join the Navy, and I started at the bottom and worked myself up to the level of Chief Petty Officer. The moment that stands out in my Navy Career was when I was the only E-5 Female on the waterfront in Puerto Rico to qualify as Chief Engineer of a Yard Harbor Tug Boat. 2nd thing, is that I want to have a family, and I want someone special in my life to share it with. I will obtain a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education w/ Minor in Cross Cultural Special Education to assist my son to win his fight against Autism. The one thing that I do know, that if the system can’t do its job and give my son the services he deserves and needs, then I will take their job and do it for them! To do all of this, I need to be in the best physical and mental condition that I can be! No excuses! And one last thing! I’ve got that lady in Body of Work beat—the one who bought all the eggs. Every time I go to the store, about every 5 or 6 days, I buy two 18 count cartons of large eggs!
