Treena Mielke
Black Press
Denise Garnick and her daughter Kelcie are a rare mother daughter team whose passion for physical fitness has led them to successfully compete at body building competitions.
The Garnicks competed at the Muscle Beach Fall Classic Body Building Competition held at the Winspear Centre in Edmonton Oct. 11. Both ladies brought home medals.
Garnick captured third place in the Women’s Masters and also took third in the Women’s Heavyweight Category for over age 35.
Her 16-year-old daughter took second in the Women’s Fitness Category.
After the competition the two went off and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of pancakes, a treat they don’t often allow themselves.
Garnick, who owns her own gym, Outa’ The Box Fitness, which is set up in her basement and is a personal trainer is well experienced at working out, eating healthy and helping others to do the same.
But, for the mother of four, the satisfaction of being in top-notch physical condition is somewhat amplified by watching her daughter follow in her footsteps.
The ladies have been training together for the several months. Both are early risers, hitting the treadmill or the stepper in the gym at 5 a.m.
“If you really want it, you can do anything,” said Garnick.
As well as working out with her mom, Kelcie is a competitive cheerleader at Premier Academy in Red Deer.
“My mom sets a positive example,” she said. “It’s so cool. No 16-year-old on the face of this earth is prouder of their mom than I am.”
Working out and competing is a natural high for Kelcie.
“I love the performing aspect of it,” she said.
For Garnick, the admiration is mutual and she is pleased her daughter has made the positive choice to stay in shape and eat healthy meals. She is also proud that her daughter was almost a decade younger than the other competitors in that category and still managed to pull of a second-place win.
She notes that some teens have not made such positive choices resulting in dire consequences.
“Obesity is rampant,” she said. “And it’s not just kids, it’s parents, too.”
Being active with your children is important, she stressed.
“It can be as simple as going for walks and bike rides with your kids. You send them a better message when you get off the couch and go play with them, rather than just tell them to get active themselves.”