Woodward, Okla. — A Woodward native is making a name for herself in the fitness world.

Natasha Herring, 25, recently won the overall Fitness category in the Oklahoma National Physique Committee (NPC) "Battle of the Bodies."

Herring actually placed first in both the Fitness and Figure A categories.  

For Figure contests, contestants are judged on criteria such as overall muscle tone with shapely lines, overall firmness, and a healthy appearance, according to the NPC website http://npcnewsonline.com.  For the Fitness category, the NPC website says contestants are judged on criteria such as firmness, symmetry, proportion, overall physical appearance and on their display of strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular exercise through a 2-minute routine.  Herring said she did mostly tumbling maneuvers and shoulder-stands for her routine at the state contest on May 5.

"It hasn't hit me yet," Herring said about her recent win.

She said she’s still on a high from her previous competition at the Ronnie Coleman Classic in March,  where out of 400 competitors in the Fitness category she placed 4th.  She also placed 6th out of 36 women in the Figure A contest at the Ronnie Coleman Classic.

Herring said she also doesn't have time to digest the "Battle of the Bodies" win because she is busy gearing up for her next competition which will be the 2012 NPC National Qualifier on June 9 in Tulsa.

Before competitions, Herring said she goes through 12 weeks of planning and preparations as she works on things like her exercise routine for the Fitness contests.

But Herring doesn't just work on her own fitness and physique, she also helps others work on theirs as a personal trainer and instructor at Peak Fitness.

"I want to motivate people and change people's lives," she said.

Seeing how happy her clients are when they come in the door is one of the most rewarding things for Herring. She said helping people go from a size 18 to a 7 and making them feel good about themselves is what keeps her motivated as well.

And with days that usually begin around 5:30 a.m. and don't end until 10 p.m., motivation is important.

"I get tired and I get sore like everyone else," she said.

However, she's not one to lose focus easily. Immediately after her win in Tulsa, she was asking the judge what she needed to work on. She plans on working more on her show and getting her body tighter for the next competition.

That's all while seeing about 60 clients 2 to 3 times a week and juggling her ongoing school work.

Herring graduated from Northwestern Oklahoma State University with 2 bachelor's degrees in psychology and biology last year and is now currently finishing up a minor, which is in psychology as well.

But Herring's busy schedule doesn't bother her. She was very active in high school and wanted to continue staying active as she went on to college and the career world.  She said she was inspired to start competing in fitness competitions because she wanted to do even more with her own fitness training.

"I don't want to be the Average Joe, just lifting weights," she said. "I'm gonna compete."

Now she said she's not going to stop until she gets to nationals. If she wins the National Qualifier on June 9th she would get to go to the USA Jr. Nationals June 18th in New York. After that, she would become eligible for pro shows, which is her ultimate goal.

With all of the things going on her life between training, instructing and school, she still finds time to have some fun. In her down time she loves playing with her one-year-old niece, spending time with her 2 dogs, Mac and MJ, and going to stock car races with her family.