Courtney Hawes

Meet Courtney Hawes - I am a Fitness competitor, Radiation Therapist, and baker in my spare time (which there really isn’t much of!).  I have always loved working in the kitchen, mainly baking.  My grandmother taught me everything I know, and even loved to brag that I could crack an egg without getting shell in the bowl at the age of two.  A couple of years ago, I met a wonderful man, who I ended up following across the country to be with. He deployed, and I hired a trainer to help me look my best for his return. My trainer convinced me to enter into a fitness competition. I fell in love with the lifestyle! Baking has always been something I’ve loved, but a healthy lifestyle means a decrease in sweets. My baking began to suffer because I no longer knew what I could use or how to use different things to get the desired tastes!!  Many people struggle with this same issue, and end up with the most boring foods.  I wanted to be able to create foods I could eat while still remaining on a fitness plan, or even being able to cheat while eating clean. Via Courtney's Page  (SISS)  Hi Courtney, where are you from and where are you currently spending your time?  (Courtney)  I am originally from Northern Virginia, but I now live, and spend 99% of my time in the Florida Panhandle, between Santa Rosa Beach and Pensacola.  (SISS)  What was one of the hardest things that you had to go through? What advice would you give someone going through the same struggle?  (Courtney)  I haven’t really had any one major catastrophic event happen in my life.  Just smaller struggles.  I lost my job for the first time in my career about 3 years ago.  I was lost.  I had friends and family, but I felt my career was what defined me.  All of a sudden, it was gone.  Reimbursement changes caused my company to shut down my division.  Because it was an industry change, it took longer than I would have wanted to find a new position.  In that time, I became self-conscious, insecure, depressed, and angry.  I had to constantly remind myself that it had nothing to do with me.  Losing my job did not define my career.  I baked, worked out, found busy work while I was waiting to hear from employers.  (SISS)  What are you most grateful for?  (Courtney)  My fiancé and my family (blood or not).  They are a wonderful support system.  They make life worth living, no matter how far away any of them may be.  (SISS)  Why are you so dedicated to fitness?  What is your fitness goal?  On your body, what is your favorite body part and what is your least favorite?  (Courtney)  Why?  Because when everything else in life fails, you have your health.  It is my stress relief, balance, and fun.  It keeps me sane.  I have a few fitness goals.  I will be 30 in just over 1 week.  I wanted to be in the 130s by my 30th.  Then I want to look killer in a swimsuit for my friends bachelorette weekend in Vegas in august.  Then I have my bachelorette in September, friends wedding in October, and my biggest one is my own wedding in December!  This year is full of small fitness goals.  Lately it really has been to grow muscle while I take time off from competing due to the above life events.  I want to eventually earn my pro card with the WBFF, but in that journey, I want to be able to motivate other women to just get up and move and be healthy.  My favorite body part would be my back.  It leans out faster than any other part.  Least favorite would be my thighs.  They are the last to lean out when I compete, and they have so much growing to do!!  It’s a work in progress.  (SISS)  What makes you the happiest?  (Courtney)  Being home, in the backyard, with my fiancé and dog makes me the happiest.  It’s such a relaxing place with my two favorite companions.  (SISS)  How do you deal with disappointment? I read somewhere you said “I am in love with the process of preparing my body for competitions, and all of the glamour that goes with it.  However, I do finally love my body in all phases for the first time.” Do you remember that moment or what triggered this feeling?  (Courtney)  Dealing with disappointment: I was raised believing that happiness is a choice.  It’s not something you find.  You choose how you react.  Instead of being disappointed in myself for something I can change, I make that change.  You can’t change the past, only the future and how you react in the present.  If I can’t control it, there’s nothing I can do, so I move on.  Or I bake.  I do remember that moment.  I was standing on the scale, seeing the number go up.  I was working my butt off, but knew that my overall goal was to grow, and that meant raising calories for energy to lift heavier and flat out perform better.  I was never “skinny” as a young girl.  I loved my body when I was competing, because I was finally “skinny.”  This moment was when I finally realized that “skinny” didn’t mean healthy, and healthy wasn’t only physical health, but loving who you are and the consistency and dedication that I put in every single day to have the body that I do.  I loved that I HAD CONTROL over how my body looked and functioned.  I was growing in a good way, to grow muscle, to be competitive on that stage.  (SISS)  You are also a radiation therapist, what do you love the most about what you do and what is the hardest part of it?  (Courtney)  I love helping others on the hardest days of their journey.  I love being the advocate for the patients, especially the ones that don’t want to speak up because they “don’t want to fuss.”  I want to be there to make a positive impact in their life in their dark moment. The hardest part is when you lose a patient.  In Radiation Therapy, you see patients daily for 2-6 weeks.  You develop a relationship with each one in some way.  It can be an incredibly emotional part of the job. (SISS)  Can you tell us more about www.sweetgainzhealthytreatz.com and where else can our readers follow your fitness journey?  (Courtney)  I started this website to introduce healthy baked goods to other competitors who were potentially facing the same digestive issues that I was after competing.  My first year of competing, I worked with a coach who basically copied and pasted the plans that she was given for her from another trainer, into our plans.  She was caught when she forgot to edit out the original companies name on her plan.  Her plan was designed for her and her goals, but did not work for me.  Instead, I ended up with some damage.  I was terrified of eating carbs, because id blow up and be in immense pain.  I found recipes that I loved that did not have that result.  It pretty much fizzled out, and became a blog when I have time.  When I lost my job, I didn’t want to spend several hundred dollars on trying new recipes, and then I found a job that took all of my time!  (SISS)  What’s your favorite quote?  (Courtney)  “Life is about the choices you make” by my mother.  You choose to react.  You choose to get up and move.  You choose to work hard.  No job opportunities, look outside of the box so you can pay the bills.  You choose to be a victim or a survivor.  There’s much more to that, but it’s not anyones business except for the people who I am thinking of.  My autistic cousin is one of the hardest working members of his family.  He makes the choice to work hard and live on his own.  His siblings turn to him to help because he, the baby of the family, is the most responsible.  He does not let autism define him.  You decide.  Every day you make decisions that impact your life.  (SISS)  At Smart is so sexy we love to see women who are thriving in their career or business.  What are you most passionate about?  (Courtney)  Helping others.  Plain and simple.  I love teaching students, and I love training new therapists.  Even more so, I love watching them fly on their own.  (SISS)  Who was the most influential person in your life?  (Courtney)  My grandfather.  He came from little to nothing during the depression, wired his first house by himself at the age of 12, became a minister, worked hard every day to provide for his family.  He was the most loving man anyone would ever meet, and had a great sense of humor.  He was intelligent.  He gave everything that he had to help others.  (SISS)  Where were you five years ago? What advice would you tell your five years younger self?  (Courtney)  Five years ago, I had not started my fitness journey.  I worked out 3 days a week with my dad, but no dedication and definitely no healthy eating.  I had just met my now fiancé, and he had just moved across the country for work.  I would tell my five year ago self, to be patient and it would all work out.  (SISS)  Can you take us through a typical day? From Waking up to going to bed, Can you give us a play by play of a typical day for you?  (Courtney)  My standard day is pretty boring.  It’s more of a routine.  4:20am: wake up, make breakfast, walk the dog, leave for work.  5:15: drive to gym.  6:15: arrive at the gym, lift, stairmaster.  7:20-3/3:30: work. Somewhere in between there I have three meals.  4:30/5pm: get home, walk the dog.  6:00pm: eat last meal.  7:45pm: get materials out for breakfast the next morning, shower, brush teeth, go to bed NLT 8:20pm.  (SISS)  What are you most proud of?  (Courtney)  The life that I have.  I have a wonderful fiancé, supportive family and friends, beautiful home in my favorite location so far, and the cutest fur baby ever.  Minus my commute to work, I absolutely love my life.  (SISS)  What is your favorite Food? What is your favorite book?  When do you feel the sexiest?  (Courtney)  My favorite food: Cheesecake.  Favorite book: Don’t have one.  I love to read murder mysteries.  When I feel the sexiest: in a classy outfit of heels, pencil skirt, and a cute top.  Modest, yet sexy.  (SISS)  A social media question, Facebook, twitter, instagram or snapchat? Which one do you use the most to best market yourself or brand? (Courtney)  Instagram.  I keep my facebook private for the most part.  I only use snapchat for my fiance's sisters.  I wouldn’t know how to use it if it weren’t for them!  (SISS)  Is there someone on social media that inspires you and is a great follow?  (Courtney)  Hattie Boydle.  She has talked about her struggle from unhealthy and tiny to the WBFF world fitness champion.  She is always posting to inspire others.  (SISS)  What does Smart is so Sexy mean to you?  (Courtney)  It means so many things to me.  It means that women should be proud of the knowledge they possess.  They have the knowledge to make decisions that impact their life in the best way.  Beauty and brains combination is rare.  Women who possess both are few and far between.  Many people are looking for a partner in life, someone who can support them when they need it.  Smart women have the ability to be independent, which means they can be a valued partner in a relationship, not just eye candy.  It means being with someone because you love them, not because you need them.  You can truly be yourself.  (SISS)  Thank you so much Courtney for sharing with us, please follow her on Instagram @Chawes4108