Tani Correia Got Back On Track After Tragedy

When Tani Correia’s dad and best friend died she made it her goal to move forward from tragedy show others they can, too.

Vital stats

Before: 130lb
After: 105lb

How did tragedy affect you?

I had always maintained a lean, muscular physique until my dad passed away shortly before a fitness competition. I prepared myself entirely, for my dad, and I came in third in my class in the figure category. I expected the ‘post-comp blues’ but this time it was different. I felt alone and unmotivated.

Just when I thought I was getting myself together, I lost my best friend, James. I felt I got the wind knocked out of me. I just didn’t feel the same.

How did you change your diet in the beginning?

During the process of getting back to me, I became a pescatarian, drank more green tea, reduced gluten and avoided sugar and artificial sweeteners.

When did you get serious about training?

I’ve always been serious about training, even though I was on hiatus for some time. When I no longer felt like myself and got tired of feeling so awful, I got serious all over again. I missed inspiring and being inspired.

I now train with purpose and I love it all over again. If you have the desire to get yourself back from being in a dark place or having faced tragedy and bad times, keep going and be kind to yourself. You can do this.

What was your catalyst for change?

My turning point was when I stopped feeling like myself. I was tired of feeling sad and unmotivated. Many reached out to me telling me they miss my social media posts and videos. It was time to make a change.

What was the first step you took toward gaining control?

I decided I didn’t want to feel the way I did so I changed my diet all over again and tapped into what worked for me before.

I reached inside myself to get back to being me, to feeling good about myself. I needed to show myself I can do this before I could show others that they too can move forward from tragedy.