One arm pushups, split drops, death defying jumps: it’s all in a day’s work for this diminutive 43-year-old from Richmond. Margo Northey competed with over 80 athletes at the Fame National Championships this past weekend in North Vancouver. Winning the Fitness Pro division with style, she’s tucked another national title securely under her belt.

This is a sweet victory for Northey, who suffered a serious nerve injury this past June, which kept her from competing at the world championships in Montreal.

“It was very disappointing. It is a huge amount of work and organization to make it to Worlds. I thought, at the very least, my execution might suffer but I never considered that the injury would actually sideline me! I kept a brave face, you have to, but it was pretty hard to go that far and not even get the chance to do my thing”.

Northey is no stranger to the competitive scene. She competed Internationally in the gymnastics sport of aerobic gymnastics for 15 years, winning many national titles and capturing the only world silver medal for mixed pairs with her partner, Dakota Hart. She retired from aerobic gymnastics at 40 but soon felt as though something was missing. She found herself drawn to the fitness competitions many of her compatriots had become involved in. Before long, she was competing in fitness and wowing the judges with her well honed skills. She received her pro card within the first year and hasn’t looked back. In 2008 she won bronze at the world championships and was going for gold at worlds in Montreal this past summer when her injury crippled her the day before preliminaries.

“I’ve worked very hard since then to rehab and work within the constraints of my injury. As always happens, there is a silver lining. I have had to really focus on my static strength and this has actually improved my routines, making them appear more powerful.”

Buzzing with energy, Northey recounts the events of this weekend at Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver. “There is always registration the night before and you try to find out who is there to compete against you,” Northey laughs. “It’s not as though you are going to change things at that point, but I am not getting any younger and I would like to know ahead of time if I have to go up against some 21-year-old whippersnapper”.

There was no one to rain on her parade this weekend and Northey appears ecstatic to have received this year’s National title with Fame. With an energy that belies her years, Northey describes her exhaustive schedule which includes conducting business at Tsawwassen Massage Therapy Clinic where she is an owner and works as a registered therapist, running her wine import agency (aptly called Great Legs) and teaching aerobics part-time for Fitness World with whom Northey remains one of a handful of high level athletes included in their sponsorship program. Though she qualifies to compete in the Masters category of 35-plus years, it is no surprise that Northey remains competitive in the Open category of 18-plus years.

When asked how she finds time to train, Northey replied: “You have to book time to train. If you leave it to chance, it never happens. I have to book space, book time with my coach (coach and partner, Alan Hay), make it happen. I have a lot on my plate so it takes a huge amount of organization.”

Her advice to would-be competitors? “Just do it! Make the commitment and go for it! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You can start in novice divisions and move up if you want to. It’s great to have a healthy goal. Keep a positive attitude and try to be balanced in your approach.”

One would think that a national title merits some time off for this athlete but Northey disagrees. “I am not training today...but I’ll be back at the gym tomorrow. I’m a little sore from the weekend but some cardio and a stretch does wonders. What can I say? It’s part of my lifestyle. It’s all good.”