Scottsdale Health April 2019

As a little girl, Gracie Bishara didn’t like to eat – she would
pick at her food and complain of stomach aches. Bishara grew
up but never grew out of the stomach pains. As she got increasingly
skinny, Bishara endured jokes about her shrinking frame
and name calling like “chicken legs.” Her friends and family
would shake their heads, assuming it was all in her mind,
behind her back.
After high school, Bishara sought out medical help. She
knew there had to be more to the stomach aches and the aversion
to food. Her body was at a breaking point and she was often
too weak to get out of bed.
“I finally got into the specialist and they did an endoscopy
of my stomach,” Bishara recalls. “The test results showed that I
was highly allergic to gluten
and that years of eating it had
destroyed the lining of my
stomach, and that my intestines
had been permanently
damaged. I was no longer
absorbing nutrients from my
food.”
This was a turning point
in Bishara’s life. After years
of illness and struggles with
her body, she finally had an
answer.
“Feeling sick taught me
that your health is the most
important thing,” she says. “It
also taught me that food definitely
has an all-encompassing
impact on our bodies. How you
fuel it will ultimately change
the way it makes you feel and
can alter how you perceive
yourself.”
Bishara took this newfound
knowledge to heart. She
altered her diet, the way she
fueled her body and the way
she looked at food. Feeling stronger, she turned her focus on
another challenge.
“After cleaning up my diet, my best friend invited me to the
gym and was showing me all these inspirational fitness models
who competed in bodybuilding,” Bishara explains. “She helped
motivate me to go to the gym with her every day after work.”
Bishara sought out Vegas Davis, prominently known
for training bodybuilders and fitness models. After sharing
her story, he agreed to train her for an upcoming regional
competition.
“I remember doing my first training session and I swear
I almost threw up,” Bishara recalls. “I thought to myself,
‘why would anyone pay for someone to torture you like this?’
However, the very next day I signed up for a year commitment
and began my training for my first World Beauty Fitness &
Fashion Show (WBFF) show.”
She then caught the “fitness bug,” inspiring her to compete
in the biggest show they have, the World Championship, aka
“Worlds,” in 2015.
Worlds was Bishara’s first big competitive win. After placing
first in the Tall Bikini class, she was awarded with her Pro
card – a huge accomplishment for a novice. She attributes much
of her success to her strict exercise and diet routine, honed
after years of struggles with her health.
“My routine while training is pretty intense,” Bishara says.
“My diet doesn’t change all that much but I do closely monitor my
intake and I do flexible eating. When I am training for my show, I
eat all the food that I love, even
chocolate and cheat meals.
Everything all in moderation,
so I never feel like I am really
missing out on much.”
Bishara does her best to
avoid fad diets and some of
the more severe weight-loss
tactics, like water depletion,
instead focusing on being
healthy. Bishara also isn’t
afraid to hit the gym. As a
former gymnast and cheerleader,
she’s naturally athletic
and finds the activity provides
great balance to her routine.
“My exercises consists
of weights five to six days a
week, with minimal cardio,”
she says. “I grow muscle
quicker on my upper body, so
I focus a lot on my lower body
three days a week while still
incorporating some legs during
my upper body workouts.
I do maybe 20 minutes of the
stair master two days a week,
with three days of HIIT cardio.”
Beyond competing, Bishara juggles a life of giving back
and inspiring others (@graciebfit on Instagram). She currently
works for Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona and was the
spokesperson for Ms. Health and Fitness for Muscle and Fitness
Hers magazine in 2018. Through the Ms. Health and Fitness
social media campaign, she helped raise $179,724.93 for Homes
for Wounded Warriors and hopes to beat that record in 2019.
“I believe my future belongs with inspiring, motivating,
and developing programs that help the community become a
healthier and better self, emotionally and physically,” Bishara
says. “This spring, I will even be launching my own fitness channel
(www.graciebfit.smashbod.com). I hope to share my transformational
experience so others can change their lives like I did.”
04/19 ScottsdaleHealth 51