Balancing bodybuilding and the soldier lifestyle.

At 4 a.m., 2nd Lt. Angela M. DiMattia starts her day with an hour of cardio. She repeats this practice twice a day, lifts, and consumes 6 meals, along with her responsibilities to the Army.

“I was 2 years old when my mother was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes,” DiMattia told Defense.gov. “As long as I can remember I watched her [inject] herself with insulin and monitor her carb and sugar intake. She made me very aware of how important it was to take care of yourself.”

This heavy childhood impact spurred DiMattia to aggressive pursuit of health throughout her young life.

“I ran 5Ks since kindergarten and I started playing softball at 5 years old. My first research paper in sixth grade was about the importance of nutrition and exercise. I even made a video of me doing pushups and eating celery.”

In college she played softball, which gave way to more challenging endeavors like marathons, ultra-marathons, and Ironman competitions.

“CrossFit was really big and new back in 2012, so I joined that community. I started lifting and got stronger; I was having so much fun.”

She said Crossfit gradually gave way to pure bodybuilding. An inury in 2015 led her to now coach, bodybuilder and Strongman competitor Thomas Wade, and she began preparing for bodybuilding shows:

“He and I are on this journey together, and I don’t want to share it with anyone else.

“This will be the fourth show I’ve competed in, but my first national pro qualifier show. My first show, in 2015, was really small and located in my hometown, but since then I have mixed a little bit of all my [fitness] experiences into one.”

Now DiMattia’s goal is to earn her IFBB pro card.

“On those days I’m tired and it’s been a long day, I tell myself, ‘You just have to focus on the finish.’”

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