Steph Leray's reward for winning her first bodybuilding competition went far beyond a trophy and the thrill of coming out on top.
"I had pizza. I had chocolate cake. I've had candies I had a couple chocolate bars. And then I felt really sick afterwards," she said with a laugh. "But it was good going down."
The 30-year-old Estevan product is 1-for-1 in her bodybuilding career after winning the women's open division at the Saskatchewan Amateur Bodybuilding Association's novice competition this past weekend.
Leray topped her four-woman division and was one of 41 competitors at the meet, held Saturday in Prince Albert.
"I don't even know how to explain it," she said. "It's such an accomplishment. It feels so rewarding I've just felt really proud of myself for sticking with the training and the dieting, because the dieting, there's days when it really gets to you.
"It's hard to stick with it and just to know I followed through is a great feeling."
The key to getting through it, Leray says, is a strong support system. For her that included not just her trainers (Lyris and Ryan Cappelle of Swift Current), but her friends and family as well.
She reserved special praise for her friend Lindsey Vicary, who took care of Leray's hair and makeup for the show, and also for her husband Ashley.
Leray's chocolate-fest was short-lived as she is continuing to train for the SABBA provincial championships, which are scheduled for April 24 in Regina.
"I'm back training and back on the diet and I'm plugging away hard for another two weeks," she said. "If everything goes well I'll take some time off and keep working out and keep growing and maybe someday get into the national circuit."
