Tru-Sha Dixon scales down for health and wins bodybuilding competition
Published:Wednesday | July 20, 2022 | 12:11 AMKrysta Anderson - Staff Reporter
Weight loss doesn’t begin with the gym; it starts with a change of mindset. Tru-Sha Dixon, who was once an overweight child, recalled the trauma of being teased at school. As she got older, she took matters into her own hands by embarking on a life changing wellness journey. When opportunity struck, the fitness enthusiast decided to take things up a notch by entering the world of bodybuilding. After months of training, Dixon stepped out in competition and was crowned the 2022 Bikini Novice Champion, Bikini Tall Class Champion and earned second place in Overall Bikini Fitness at the Jamaica Amateur Bodybuilding and Fitness Competition (JABBFA),
“Preparing for the main event took a lot of discipline. I had to learn how to walk in heels. I had to learn how to pose. I had to accept my knock knees, work with it and just love it,” she told Lifestyle. One would never know just by looking that this confident athlete once had issues with weight. Reflecting on her journey, a young Dixon struggled with physical education in school. Outside of those doors, fitness wasn’t in the picture and didn’t play an active role in her life.
Her earliest memories were mostly unpleasant. Going out to shop as a child, she would gravitate towards the prettiest of clothes, only to be told that it wasn’t available in her size. Her weight was also the topic of discussion among family members. “Back in the ‘90s, there wasn’t any body positivity or fluffy movement. You were fat. And fat was equated to being unattractive, and I felt that way,” she said. But the kitchen was never off limits. There were no restrictions on what she ate and there was no monitoring in that regard.
In high school, she became more self conscious and started paying more attention to her weight. While she lost some weight, she gained most of it back due to a lack of maintenance. Her turning point came when she began attending university. “I didn’t go to the gym immediately. I would attend aerobics classes from time to time and walk the ring road at nights. But in 2014, after being on my cycle and satisfying a craving with milkshake and fries, I saw myself in the mirror and looked like a blowfish. A light bulb went off and I said, ‘No Trush, you can’t continue like this’,” she revealed. From then onward, she began taking health and fitness more seriously.
Dixon began asking around for advice from persons who were doing well. She did her own intensive research on the matter. Her rigorous wellness journey began with getting 40 squats in her room at night-time, and evolved into enrolling in a gym. Through interactions with like-minded people, she was able to learn new information that would be beneficial to her journey, like high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts, alternative cardio and weight training. She even put out a ‘classified ad’ of sorts on Facebook, seeking a gym partner and a friend responded asking if she was serious. Once Dixon confirmed her request, the pair became gym buddies and accountability partners.
She worked through eating issues and validation from others. So accustomed to the repercussions of society, the fitness junkie couldn’t readily identify with a slimmer body; the cultural shift in name calling took some serious adjusting. She trained on her own until 2017, when she had a health scare; so she sought a personal trainer. But affordability came into play, so did depression and that wasn’t consistent enough. One day, a friend of hers gifted a gym membership and it was there that she developed the consistency she needed. She was also introduced to a trainer that changed life as she knew it forever.
“In the first two weeks of working with her, I saw results. She taught me that it’s not about starving yourself. It’s not about fad diets and skipping meals; it’s about eating the right macronutrients for your body. And she will calculate my macronutrients that are suitable for my body and pair it with the appropriate workout program for me. Best believe that I continue to go through this experience without being hungry,” she confessed. Planning and tracking my meals worked for me. She locks in and focuses on her therapeutic workouts in the morning. Simple changes came through manipulating her body, curtailing it to her needs. :Give your body what it needs and it will respond,” she added.
She grew less insecure and gained confidence. And because of her results, talks of bodybuilding entered the chat. The conservative Dixon was hesitant at first. But she entered her first competition in 2021. She was the only one who showed up in her competition. RJR Cross Country Bodybuilding Competition the second time around was a better run and she earned that win. “Outside of competition, her diet is very satisfying. But within competition, I had to deny myself my usual cravings,” she said, noting that it was a sacrifice worth making.
Having the opportunity during the pandemic to adequately prepare for competition, she entered JABBFA’s bikini segment confident that she could win in her categories. In the end, she collected first prize for her segments and came second overall, having lost to her actual trainer who took first place, it was an absolute honour. “I find it emotional about these wins because I feel like I made 10 year old and 15 year old Tru-Sha proud,” she said, sharing these gems for those looking to embark on their own wellness journey.
“Understand that you are beautiful as you are. But love yourself enough to make better choices for you, so that you can have a better quality of life. It’s not always easy, so when it gets hard, understand that it gets better once you’re consistent. You’re one good decision closer to your goals.”