Yvonne Bates, a Cambodian refugee living in Kansas City, has transformed her body and her life and she's started her own company, Body Image by Yvonne, to help others do the same! In just six short months this young woman has become a World Natural Bodybuilding Federation (WNBF) professional figure competitor and she's rising fast up the bodybuilding and fitness ranks. Sexy and humble Yvonne is a true-life success story and an inspiration to women and immigrants everywhere!

Kansas City, Kan., resident, Yvonne Bates is a true inspiration to everyday women who want to transform their lives and bodies, because during the past eight months, this 30-year-old mother has done just that.

In June 2003, she decided to truly commit herself to a life of fitness and wellness. She started watching what she ate and became more committed than ever to working out regularly. Within several months, she’d lost fifteen pounds, developed great muscle tone and transformed her body. She was so proud of the results, she decided to enter a few figure competitions.

In her first amateur figure competition, sponsored by the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation (WNBF), in September 2003, Yvonne won a first place title -- KC Gold's Classic Figure Champ - Short Division. She also won first place in her division in her second amateur competition.

After winning in these contests, Yvonne qualified for her WNBF professional figure credentials, and she entered her first pro WNBF competition in New York in November 2003. Out of 24 figure pros, including some women from as far away as the Cayman Islands and Switzerland, Yvonne walked away with $500 and placed third in the WNBF’s drug-free Pro Natural Ms. Exercise Figure Contest.

Yvonne's success is garnering national media attention. She'll be profiled this fall in Ms. Fitness Magazine and the WNBF's Natural Bodybuilding & Fitness Magazine.    

But her amazing transformation almost didn’t happen.

FROM WAR TO FREEDOM TO SUCCESS

Yvonne was born in Cambodia, but fled to this country while young with her mother, sister, and brother during the Vietnam War, in order to escape a country embedded in war and turmoil.
As a child, she remembers dodging bullets and swimming through leech-infested waters for a chance at a better life in the United States. Once in America, her family was sponsored by Kansas City’s Don Bosco Center, which helped introduce and assimilate the family to life in Kansas City.

Just as the escape from Cambodia transformed Yvonne's life . . . and she’s transformed her body . . . Yvonne is determined to help other people transform their lives and bodies as well. She hopes to one day be a role model for others, particularly for women and her three-year-old daughter, Serena.

Recently Yvonne formed her own personal training venture, Body Image by Yvonne, where her goal is to help men and women get on the right track when it comes to fitness.

“I offer very personalized training instruction, because I want to help people, particularly women, lose weight and stay fit. We all want to be healthy and happy. Additionally, we all come in different shapes and sizes and we all have different goals and ways of approaching those goals. It’s in my heart to truly motivate people, so that they can get where they want to be physically which isn’t always easy on your own,” said Yvonne.

In addition to getting her personal training business off the ground this year, Yvonne hopes to compete and perform in four professional figure competitions in Texas, Massachusetts, North Carolina and New York. In order to do so, she’s looking for local and national corporate sponsors willing to underwrite the cost of training and travel.

Preparing for the events will consist of daily 2-hour workouts. Additionally, Yvonne will eat six carbohydrate and protein rich meals daily for six weeks leading up to the events. But despite all the hard work, Yvonne is excited about her chances.

“I’m encouraged by my early success and hope it will continue. I’m also proud to be setting an example for normal women and mothers everywhere. There’s nothing a woman can’t accomplish once she puts her mind to it. That includes committing to loving ourselves and starting fitness programs that contribute to our overall wellness,” said Yvonne.    


Editor’s Note: Yvonne Bates is available anytime to discuss bodybuilding and fitness. She’d be
a perfect expert for fitness stories done now, during National Nutrition Month (March), or during National Fitness & Sports Month (May). She can be reached at 816-509-1508 or bodyimage@kc.rr.com.