Global Gossip

Take a hard, chiselled body with an attractive face and good marketability and you’ve got a potential for a cover model… add on charisma, charm, good sportsmanship, a great attitude and love for fitness and that can only give you FAME World Pro Fitness Model Champion Kendall Wood!

Having had severe bouts of asthma throughout his childhood, it was a challenge for Kendall to even be able to run a block let alone work out for hours on end.  With over 1000 visits to the hospital and a doctor telling him he may not live much longer, Kendall had no choice but to figure out how to become stronger than what his asthma was.

And so he did…in baby steps.  

Having moved down to Georgia for university, Kendall began lifting weights, playing football and basketball.  While he was getting healthier, he had to overcome more obstacles like surgeries in both shoulders, a ruptured patella tendon and, therefore, two surgeries on his knee.  These limitations only made Kendall work harder to achieve a healthier life.  In 2006 Kendall entered his first Fitness Model Search competition sponsored by Hardbody.  Out of a 22-city tour, this Harlem native made it in the final 15.  During that weekend, Kendall met FAME Pro Zac Titus who encouraged him to keep on competing.  Not ten minutes later did he meet the first ever FAME Pro Bodybuilder Ian Walling who also said he had what it took to become a Pro.  Those two meetings confirmed the fitness life Kendall knew he was meant to have.

Having decided to train himself for another fitness show, Kendall entered his first FAME competition winning Pro status in the FAME North American Championships November 2006.  After a whirlwind of more competitions, Kendall also won the Muscle Model division making him the first ever competitor to gain Pro status in both categories.  Finally, this past June, Kendall won the FAME World Pro Title for the Fitness Model category.

Having been backstage at the event I knew Kendall had what it took to be the World Champion.  It wasn’t even so much his physique (although obviously that had a lot to do with it!), it was the way he conveyed himself to the audience, the way he interacted with people backstage, the way he showed not only the competitors but also the staff and spectators what it meant to be truly Body-Proud and confident.  

Kendall has graced the cover of the July edition of Maximum Fitness magazine, and is starting up his online training at www.fitsciences.net

He is also currently working directly with the FAME organization on a show he’ll be hosting next year.  You can sign up for the FAME newsletter at www.fameworldtour.com to be the first to get the info on his show date!  

When I asked him what his increased popularity has done for him he humbly said, “If being popular can help somebody out there and also help me in a win-win situation then it’s worth it but popularity alone is meaningless.”

It’s funny how most people can attempt to read into another person’s story and end up being totally wrong.  Looking at Kendall most would think he’s got it all and it all came easy.  He may have it all now but listening to his story of how he got to where he is, that’s the motivating part - to know that someone went through endless amounts of obstacles in order to follow their dream.  That’s what Kendall did and not only has he won the hearts of his fellow competitors and fitness enthusiasts, he also won World status!  Way to go Kendall!!!!

To find out more about FAME World Champion Kendall Wood you can visit his website at www.fitsciences.net

Fitness professional, personal trainer and radio talk show host are just three elements that describe newly turned FAME Pro Melissa Tucker.

Add on her new “Fitlicious” line of products and anyone can imagine the hectic lifestyle she leads.  To Melissa, however, it’s her passion.

Her new “Fitlicious” line stemmed from her love of food.  She knew that in order to balance her life she needed to somehow turn her passion for food and mesh it right with her love of fitness.  Being a certified personal trainer, Melissa knew that 70% of the results from fitness came from clean nutrition.  She played around with recipes trying to concont some way of coming up with lean recipes but still keeping the meals interesting and tasteful. She even went as far as going to culinary school and getting her certificate in order to successfully accomplish this goal!

Melissa created recipes using equations and other newly founded knowledge from her culinary school.  The outcome?  “Fitlicious”

“Fitlicious” is a line of products that reapproaches the way fitness is normally approached.  The products make fitness and health fun, sexy and approachable. Her “Fitlicious” food prescription cookbook, the first product to kick off the “Fitlicious” line, shows illustrations focussing more on the motivation to stay fit rather than how good the food looks when you make it.  Her theory: most people are very visual and it’s the celebration of a fit body combined with food that equals “Fitlicious”.

The cookbook also focuses on the macronutrient ratios and helps anyone of any size and goal measure out the right amounts to help them achieve their end result.

In addition to the cookbook, Melissa is focussing on creating an apparel line, “Fitlicious” bootcamps, workout DVD’s, and various photoshoots to help women and men of any age, size, and goal embrace what they have and help develop what they can become.  Her goal with this specific project will be to develop a book of physiques to show that every body type is art and will break away from the ideal most are seeing in the media today.

Aside from her new products, Melissa will be the co-emcee, along with FAME president Jeffrey Kippel, for the FAME World Championships this upcoming June 13th-June 15th.  She will also keep focussing on her competition career and will have her PRO debut in Miami this fall.  

“Goals should be ever-evolving.  Start with baby steps, then take longer steps until you stride” is Melissa’s philosophy, and it’s a philosophy that has taken Melissa from a newbie, to a personal trainer, to a culinary chef, to now an entrepreneur and a new FAME Pro.  One that not only shines on the outside with her chiselled physique but also one who took it upon herself to not only show people she is Body-Proud but to also help others get to that sense of contentment as well.

If anyone wants to check out Melissa Tucker live at the FAME World Championships check out www.FAMEworldtour.com

You can also visit her website at www.melissatucker.com

Editor’s Note: Melissa’s back was recently featured on Bodybuilding.com as a Wallpaper of the Week!

After being offered the Gossip girl columnist position for the Canadian sector of athletes, I knew my dream had come true.  Come on!  Working alongside high-calibre athletes in FAME events and now I get to write about their upcoming fitness careers and dive a little bit into their personal ones?  This is a dream position for anyone in the fitness field!

I received the initial email from Richard Barnet that started off my blogging journey and after many days pondering over what piece of news I can kick off the Canadian section with, I knew the one I’m about to tell you took the top spot!  

I’m talking about the highly anticipated, largest fitness event that is happening ONLY 14 days from now…

The 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Showdown!!!

This event not only brings top athletes from all over the world including a huge team from Australia, it also promotes the new mantra FAME is launching to the public…and that is to be BODY-PROUD!  This goes beyond having an outstanding physique…it is an internal self-awareness factor that slowly exudes to what we continuously see and say “Oh my god, I want her abs” or “How can I get as big as him?”  The BODY-PROUD phenomenon goes beyond diligently training and eating clean.  It’s an internal satisfaction and positive belief that you can do whatever you put your mind to.  

To promote this lifestyle, there will also be a Marketplace Expo in the Convention Centre where the three-day fitness event will be held.  Not only is this expo free to the public for the first time in FAME history, highly reputable fitness speakers, authors and physicians will be on hand to help anyone and everyone get the path started to becoming body-proud themselves by offering all natural tips for the mind, body and soul.  

Now onto all the competition hungry people that visit Bodybuilding.com everyday.  Huge names will be competing in order to earn the top title FAME offers every two years.  Julie Marsland, Diana Chaloux, Paula Ryff, Marzia Prince, Nicole Costa, Rob Riches, Annette Milbers, Renaldo Gairy, Kendall Wood, Ava Cowan, Larry Vinette and bodybuilding.com’s own Kris Gethin are just some of the athletes that will showcase their bodies on stage and be having meet and greets with the public.  

So stay tuned for more developments to come and make sure you check out  the FAME website, www.FAMEworldtour.com to get the latest scoop on this event that is sure to make history.