inspirational interview
Natalie Minh
Snapshot
Nickname: MotownNat
Height: 5'4
Age: 28
Competition Weight: 120
Hometown: Houston, Texas, USA.
Residence: Brussels, Belgium.
Interesting Fact: I am an avid photographer. Check out my portfolio:
www.modelmayhem.com/natalieminh
Interesting Fact: I'm doublejointed.
Online: www.natalieminh.com
How we became friends
I first heard about Natalie through Facebook – her gorgeous photos kept appearing on the pages of mutual friends and I thought – I must get to know this girl! What amazed and impressed me about Natalie is how quickly she has achieved international success despite the responsibilities of a demanding job. We started corresponding and since we have a few things in common, we quickly became friends. Natalie is a great inspiration to me since she is also living in a foreign country while working hard to maintain a fitness lifestyle and career.
Background
Natalie has a wonderful sexy and exotic look due to her Vietnamese-American heritage. Growing up, despite her love of sports (especially tennis and martial arts), studies always took first priority. Let's just say that Natalie is one very smart cookie. Her outstanding academic achievements landed her a great job which eventually took her to Brussels, Belgium, working as a Structured Finance Analyst. Now it's here that things got really interesting because as if that wasn't enough, Natalie set herself a New Year's resolution to get into the best shape of her life! Five months later she won the WNSO FAME European Fitness Model Championship 2008, 2nd place in Bikini Model, and received the invitation to compete at the WNSO 2008 World Championships in Toronto (placing 3rd in Swimsuit Model - Open)! And she won a modeling contract with W Fitness Models, the premier fitness modeling agency in London. OK this girl is a powerhouse! Let's find out what makes her tick and hopefully we can all learn something from this physical genius!
Interview
Belinda: What motivated you to not only make that New Year's resolution but commit to it despite the challenges of moving to another country with new job demands?
NM: The biggest motivation for me to commit to the New Year's resolution was to sign up for the FAME European Championships at the beginning of the year, which forced me to consider whether in 4 months if I wanted to look like a fool on stage or a give it my best shot. Having a firm commitment in place was a constant mental reminder to give it my all at the gym and to make good food decisions. In addition, when I first moved to Belgium I was a homesick at times and focusing on my fitness was a great way to take my mind off of things.
Belinda: What was your secret to getting results so quickly?
NM: Once I understood the importance of the diet-cardio-weight training triangle and applying consistency, everything fell into place. If I had to make a checklist it would look something like this:
• Keep tight on your diet
• Eat a good high protein/low fat diet with a moderate calorie intake
• Eat lots of green veggies
• Drink at least 4L of water/day
• Start with 30 min. cardio at a high intensity and move up as you develop endurance
• Determine a weight training split that works for you, go heavy, and stick to it. I used a 5 day body part split: legs, back, arms, chest, shoulders.
Belinda: You seem so incredibly confident and at peace with yourself – but I guess we all have moments of self-doubt or negative thoughts, how do you deal with them?
NM: Thanks for the great compliment. I live by a number of quotes and the most important one for me is to remember that "There are no problems, only solutions." It forces me to think beyond the hurdle in front of me and propel forward. In addition, I make it a priority to have positive people around me. If someone is pulling you down like a "crab in a bucket", it makes achieving your goals that much harder.
Belinda: You are a high achiever, academically and at work – how have these skills helped you succeed in the fitness industry?
NM: I would say that the same drive, focus, and structured approach that was used to perform well in career and academically is very applicable to the fitness industry as well. Determine your goal, outline the steps to reach it, time frame for each task, and go for it!
"How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."
Belinda: You look so poised and beautiful in front of the camera – what is going through your head?
NM: "Suck it in, stick it out, and make love to the camera!" :) It's important to not only understand what positions look good for the camera but to have the right facial expressions. Confidence and comfort comes across clearly in the lens. I remember one time I didn't perform as well as I liked during a competition and the next day I had a shoot. It was like there was a different girl in front of the camera! So, I have to really focus on exuding those characteristics (I'm a sexy girl, I'm a sexy girl.....) and the pictures will show that as well.
Belinda: What kind of female physique do you feel should be a role model to others and why?
NM: This is an interesting question that I asked myself prior to taking up fitness seriously. I was dabbling in modeling a few years ago and was thinking to myself about what direction that I wanted to take this. Other than the fact that I'm too short for runway, the girls' physiques looked awfully hungry to me. I don't mind glamour (Maxim magazine style) which is very feminine but it was not as inspiring to me as fitness modeling. When I opened my first issue of Oxygen magazine and was blown away. The women's bodies were attainable, rock solid, healthy, and belonged to ladies that I admired for their personal character and accomplishments as well. I was sold.
Belinda: Lastly, what advice do you have for everyone who wants to get serious about weight training?
NM: If you want to be serious about weight training, educate yourself. Like any sport, it requires good form, a coach, and lots of practice. I started with Bodybuilding.com's SuperSite and read so many of their great articles. I networked with other fitness people (online forums are great), which kept me motivated on my journey.
The Future
Natalie is moving so fast that it is hard to keep up with her (just check out the calendar on her website)! Her immediate goals are to keep competing and to pursue her modeling career. All the best Natalie, please keep inspiring women all around the world that brains and being strong can be very sexy!
Copyright Belinda Benn 2009 
