Nicole Gilewicz wants to the next Ms. Health and Fitness, and you can help her reach her goal.
She is currently ranked fourth out of 20 women in her group to win the title and be on the next cover of Muscle and Fitness Hers magazine. The public voting competition will continue for several rounds, ultimately choosing one finalist.
Ms. Health and Fitness will also win $20,000 in cash — in addition to the cover shoot, according to the competition website.
Gilewicz said if she wins the competition, she will donate $2,000 to the Charlotte Rescue Mission, an organization that benefits addicted and homeless individuals.
She said her son has struggled with addiction and homelessness for the last 13 years and Charlotte Rescue Mission has helped him directly. She will use the remainder of the funds to continue renovating her house in Lancaster.
“I may not be able to rescue my drug-addicted son, but I can support those who do choose treatment,” Gilewicz said.
Gilewicz has lived in Lancaster for almost two years, moving here from the Ballantyne area.
“I wanted to come out to Lancaster because I love the people out here,” she said. “It’s quieter; it’s more country. It’s less pretentious and it has been a very safe place for me.”
Passion for fitness
Gilewicz said she has been passionate about fitness for as long as she can remember. She enjoys running, competing in fitness competitions and lifting weights. She eats only clean and organic foods, and does not want anything unnatural in her body.
“I would say I am a natural bodybuilder,” Gilewicz said. “In some of these competitions, some women will take stuff (steroids), and I don’t.”
Gilewicz also said she wants to be a role model to the community and to other moms, showing that you can start your fitness journey at any stage or time. She is a 48-year-old mother of three and is a member at Workout Anytime and the YMCA in Lancaster.
“At my age, even after having kids, I can still compete,” she said. “I found that, for me, being strong enough to lift some of the weights and feeling the confidence that I was able to obtain in the gym transposed into other areas of my life.”
Gilewicz works in financial services, which she calls a male-dominated industry. She said the confidence she has in her work environment stems from what she builds in the gym. She also said she is not afraid to ask for help, if there is something that she does not know how to do.
“It’s inspiring, not just where I feel like I’m inspiring myself to keep going, keep moving forward, but to be kind and helpful to others who might be new to the gym or have a question on the machines,” Gilewicz said.
‘Perfectly imperfect’
She also said that “women have been deceived by all the filters,” and the online presence of people we think are perfect.
Gilewicz said she has stretch marks, cellulite and flaws, but emphasized that what is more important than perceived physical imperfections is the confidence a woman has in herself.
“Most women have these things (stretch marks, etc.) and you can still look amazing and feel good in your own skin and be a role model to other people,” she said. “You don’t have to be perfect and absolutely beautiful. You can be perfectly imperfect.”
Gilewicz said her main message is that she wants to inspire women to start their own fitness journey today, and know that it is attainable. The confidence and benefits to your mental health that you gain in the gym will flow into other sectors of your life, she said.
Voting for the top 20 ended Thursday, May 11, and Gilewicz will now continue through several elimination rounds in hopes of being named the next Ms. Health and Fitness. You can vote for her at https://mshealthandfitness.com/2023/nicole-gil-2. The winner will be announced on or around July 13.
