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When Pearl Davison first became a student at the University of Leeds, she found herself swept up in the student lifestyle. Balancing her academic workload as a mental health nursing student with a social life left her little time to think about her diet or exercise.
She went out drinking regularly with her friends and ate what was convenient – “beans and chips,” she admitted – because that was all she had time to do.
Two years later, Davison’s 5’8” frame weighed almost 160 pounds and she wore size 14 clothes.
She didn’t feel at all comfortable wearing a bikini and realized that she “had such an unhealthy relationship with food that [she] knew that [she] needed to change.” That was when she first started hitting the gym and lifting weights.
Davison makes sure to clarify: Her decision to make a lifestyle change to her exercise and dietary habits wasn’t because she felt that her body was ever incredibly out of shape; rather, she “always felt so lethargic and never had any energy” and wanted to change this about herself.
Davison now limits her alcohol consumption and eats healthy, whole, natural foods six times a day.
In regards to her fitness routine, Davison has taken this to a whole new level.
While originally, she was nervous to have anyone even see her in a bikini, Davison now competes in bodybuilding competitions and serves as a personal trainer.
It’s not for the vanity. Davison wants to break the stereotypical image of a female bodybuilder by proving that these women can be both sexy and strong.
Davison began her bodybuilding competition career by entering the Miami Pro World Championship and winning the Bikini Toned competition. Now, she is a semi-finalist of the Miss England beauty pageant.
Although she has gone through an incredible, inspiring, healthy transformation, Davison still admits that she receives hate from others. People would her physique, saying that only men should have such defined muscles or insulting her body type.
Davison makes a point of not letting these negative comments bring her down. “One of the reasons I entered Miss England was to show it doesn’t matter what body shape you are… We all need to accept each other for how we are and stop body shaming people,” Davison explains. “I hope to be an inspiration to women and show them that they can be strong and achieve what they want in life.”
