Voyage Magazine Feature: Meet Angelique Millis of Elite Fitness Connection in West Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angelique Millis.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Angelique. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My interest in health and fitness began in college when I was trying to reverse some bad lifestyle habits that I had gotten into. Just like all students, I knew exactly how to study under pressure, party like a rock star and “burn the candle at both ends” – trying to juggle schoolwork, extracurricular activities and my social life. I was a huge emotional eater; I would eat when I was stressed, happy or sad. Before I knew it, all those late nights at Denny’s and trips to the McDonald’s drive thru had added up and I found myself 40 pounds heavier.

I had also started smoking cigarettes and staying up late drinking beer with friends almost every night and fitness was the farthest thing from my mind. My “aha” moment was when I was walking with a couple of girlfriends past a store and caught a glimpse of our reflections in the window. I was in the middle and noticed that they were so much thinner than me. When we would go shopping, I was ashamed to come out of the fitting room and I felt embarrassed that I would secretly have to ask the sales lady to bring me a bigger size of whatever I was trying on. I felt drained from the life that I was leading and I knew that if I didn’t make a change soon, my weight would continue to balloon and my health would suffer.

When I first began my transformation, I immersed myself in fitness magazines, books and websites seeking answers. There is a world of knowledge at our fingertips, so I took it upon myself to become educated. I also had a vision of what I wanted to look and feel like and I was going to stop at nothing to attain it. I endured many struggles and obstacles in embracing a new lifestyle, and later even more obstacles maintaining it.

Through my own trials and errors, I have concluded that there is no magic pill or portion for getting fit and it is not something that can be learned from simply reading a book – it is about applying the knowledge in a way that will work with you. Because society has made it so acceptable to take the easy way out and “drive thru” your cares away at the end of a stressful workday, it took a lot of self-empowerment and discipline for me to break free from that mentality. I had to learn how to kick bad habits by staring them square in the face and understand that there were no shortcuts.

At the end, it came down to desire, patience and applied knowledge. In total, I lost 40 pounds and 5 dress sizes but let me make it clear that it did not happen overnight. Fitness is a lifestyle, not just a “look”. I think it’s fantastic that people get motivated to achieve that look but they have to be realistic by setting small, detailed goals. It takes time to build muscle, time to perfect your diet habits and even more time to balance your new habits and transform your life through fitness. There needs to be a balance of patience and persistence – you may not get the results you want right away but if you are focused on your goals, it will happen. You need to enjoy the process and love yourself enough to do things the right way.

I say this because it me a few years to finally piece it all together. The new disciplines and habits I have learned through this experience have allowed me to evolve in other areas of my life and have also given me a new purpose and sense of self. I challenged myself to compete in some bikini/fitness shows and a year later, I changed careers and started my own fitness business, Elite Fitness Connection, where I began to help others shape their bodies and transform their lives.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I have encountered several obstacles, both personally & professionally, along the way but as they say, it only makes you stronger and more resilient year after year. I lost my mother to breast cancer in 2010 and moved across the country a few years later. It felt like I was starting my life over and it has been quite the journey. to say the least. Nonetheless, I would not be the person I am today without these challenges.

So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Elite Fitness Connection story. Tell us more about the business.
Elite Fitness Connection (EFC) is dedicated to motivating, educating and inspiring audiences to create and lead fit, healthy lifestyles with the ultimate goal of increasing health awareness, energy levels, productivity and overall quality of life. We offer customizable wellness/fitness programs, packages and presentations for both corporate and private companies.

Additionally, I am a marketing consultant, writer & online personal trainer & life coach.

I am also a contributing writer to several health & fitness magazines and websites including Kettlebell Magazine, Physique Magazine, Natural Muscle Magazine and Bodybuilding.com as well as the author of “The Fit Success Lifestyle Program- a Fitness Plan to transform your Body & your Life”. available for digital download on my website www.Fitin30Workout.com

I am firmly dedicated to helping others improve their lives and because leading a fit lifestyle often involves a degree of sacrifice and discipline that many struggle with, I create empowering content geared towards “fitness beginners” that can both inspire and guide readers as they embark or re-embark on their fitness journey. I believe that “Goals without Deadlines are Only Dreams” and that people can begin their fitness journey by taking a proactive approach to improving their health & fitness levels by setting detailed and realistic personal goals and enjoying the process.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in being ‘lucky” or “unlucky”. I am full of gratitude for my existence and strive to maintain this “attitude of love & gratitude” every day. I truly believe that we are co-creating our existence with God and that the situations, people & opportunities that we attract into our lives are in direct alignment with how we feel and the energy that we put out into the world. Once I began to tune into and understand the law of affinity, my “luck” (as some describe it) began to shift and I began to manifest incredible experiences.