Hi! My name is Diana Becker, and this is my very first blog post ever! 

I realize I am late to the blogging party and that social media is the way of the future, but I find that I have more to say than can be contained in a caption for a post.  I plan to integrate my blog posts into my captions for Instagram (where I am most active), but always link back to my blog so that all of you can read all of what I have to say if you wish to.  You can follow me on Instagram by finding my handle: @dianabecker12

I will be writing posts on subjects from how to get (and stay) motivated to what is happening physiologically in our bodies, and I am open to not only hearing your feedback but also hearing what you want to know!  

I want to dedicate this first post to telling you about myself.  I do not want to be just more noise in the world of fitness, and I aim not to be that by drawing on my 16 years of experience + education to have physiologically correct and real-world applicable advice.  

Before I became a trainer 16 years ago I had been an athlete.  I grew up playing various sports and participating in a myriad of physical activities.  I was never the best at anything, but always worked really hard to be among the top of everything.  I was the 5th or 6th runner (depending on the week) on a nationally ranked, 2nd in state, cross-country team as a freshman in high school.  My sophomore year I tried out for cheerleading, made it, loved it, and it carried me through the next few years of my life.  As a junior in high school I set out to learn how to backhandspring so that I could tumble for competitive cheerleading and joined our high school’s gymnastic’s team eventually winning the “most improved” award at the end of the season.  I cheered both competitively at a private club and for my high school in my senior year, then went on to be a part of a co-ed stunt team for the Seattle Supersonics immediately following high school.  These were the days that laid the foundation for the grit that I would need to pursue bigger goals and overcome large obstacles as an adult.  

During my senior year of high school I developed anorexia.  As it often does, my anorexia slowly developed into bulemia and I began to excessively exercise.  It would take me well into my 30’s to identify that anxiety was the underlying trigger that held me captive to these debilitating behaviors.  Someday, I will write a blog post about my eating disorder journey and how I overcame it.  Today, just know that I have been there and come out the other side.  It is an important collection of experiences that shape the way I coach and the way I see “fitness”. 

At 20 I became the mother to a son (Braden, now 15!).  I have been doing the “fitmom” thing damn near my entire adult life. I know what it is to balance motherhood, school, work, and personal goals.  I know what it looks like to “get back in shape” postpartum and I am also excited to share that with you.  

During my mid-twenties I began competing in the NPC (National Physique Committee) and set my goals high! 

They were: 

~To become an IFBB Pro

~To sign with the management group FMG

~To win an IFBB Pro Show 

~To compete at The Olympia

~To compete in The Arnold Invitational 

~To be a Sponsored Athlete with a large company

At Junior Nationals in 2011 I won my class, came in 2nd overall and turned pro.  I’ll never forget that night because not only did I accomplish that goal, but I was approached backstage by J.M. Manion to sign with FMG.  Two big goals accomplished! The very next weekend I competed in my first Pro Bodybuiling event.  It was called the PBW Tampa Pro Show and I won that too.  I am one of only a few bikini competitors who won their pro card and first pro show in the very same week. My win qualified me to compete at The Olympia, which I did, and I placed 11th that year.  Just before the Olympia, I signed with GNC to be a sponsored athlete and got to represent the company at a variety of events all over the United States.  In late 2011 I was invited to compete at The Arnold Bikini International and I did that in early 2012 where I placed 7th. This is not the whole story of my IFBB career, but it is a summary of the highlights, and I love sharing my experience and unique insight with the clients I train to compete in NPC shows far and wide. 

In the past 5 years I have coached women from all over the world.  These women have been beginners, they have been new moms, they have been experienced exercisers and they have been accomplished competitors.  Together we have achieved more goals than I could ever count and they have provided my life with an incredible amount of purpose and meaning. I am excited to share more of their experiences under “Success Stories”. 

At the same time that I have been coaching women, I have been in school.  I went back to school at 32 years old with no real idea of what I wanted to study.  As I continued further into my courses, I found that I loved science and learning about our bodies.  These two loves propelled me down the nursing track and I graduated with my AA in Pre-Nursing in Spring 2018.  I am now about 3 quarters away from graduating with my Bachelor’s of Health Studies which is an arm of the Nursing Program at The University of Washington.  Through school I have developed an even stronger ability to stay disciplined.  I have learned to apply that same grit that drove me physically to my studies, and now I reap the benefits in the form of excellent grades. 

16 years in the making, and I finally feel as if I have valuable and noteworthy things to say.  I hope you will join me by checking back here frequently, leaving your questions or comments, connecting with me on Instagram, and sharing if you feel so inclined.