Busy wife and mother of two Nicole Morgan is fit to be a bodybuilding champion.

Morgan, 32, of Duncan has been building up to competition for some time and made impressive B.C. Amateur Bodybuilding Association debuts with a fourth place in the medium tall figure class at Kelowna during April and, most recently, a first place in Fort St. John.

“I’ve always been active doing something,’’ said Morgan.

Having children naturally put her regular activity schedule on hold. Now that daughters Erika and Ava are five and three years old, respectively, Nicole wanted to give bodybuilding competition a shot.

“It was time to start taking care of myself again,’’ she said. “It’s always been a goal of mine.

“It took me about a year to prepare for that (Kelowna) show.’’

Placing fourth out of 12 in her category gave Morgan the encouragement to carry on and it paid off with the victory in Fort St. John.

She also received motivation from the many valley female bodybuilders who’ve come before her — Cindy Williams, Tawnya Ketch and mother of four Charlene Akhurst, whom she saw in Fort St. John, among them. Akhurst now lives in Fort St. John and has continued in the sport there in the figure tall division.

“It can be done,’’ said Morgan. “You just have to want it bad because it’s such a commitment.

“Before competition, I’m training anywhere from 15 to 18 hours a week.’’

With her two young children and everything their care entails, Morgan always gets an early start to her day.

“I try to get up at five o’clock in the morning to get the cardio aspect done,’’ she said.

Morgan works out at the Fit Stop women’s gym and credits all the early-morning group there for their support.

“They were so amazing there and you really need that when you’re doing this.’’

She’s especially grateful to friend Leila Sherwood at Fit Stop.

“We work out together,’’ Morgan said. “She really helps me. We push each other.’’

Another friend, Jenni Lowe, has also been a great influence. “She’s had to do a lot of talks with me when it comes to food,’’ she said.

Morgan is also a personal trainer under the Pure Fitness banner and conducts boot-camp style sessions at her home.

On top of that, famed international bodybuilding professional Sandra Wickham serves as Morgan’s trainer.

Of course, her support system includes husband Brent who takes on extra duties at home so she can train.

“I think it’s great to see she’s doing so well and so passionate about it,’’ he said. “There’s lots of nights when mom’s off doing her thing.’’

“It’s for me, the support of everybody, as cheesy as it sounds,’’ said Nicole. “I feed off of that and I need it to stay focused.’’

All that training is one thing, but stage presence is quite another.

“It was terrifying,’’ said Morgan. “It’s very intimidating.’’

The Kelowna competition was staged in a big theatre with a “loud audience,’’ Morgan said.

“The second show was much better.’’

She wasn’t sure if seven and a half weeks between the shows was a good thing or a bad thing, but it turned out to be the former.

Morgan has now qualified for the provincials that are also coming up very fast on July 25 in Vancouver.

“Most girls only do a couple of shows a year,’’ said Morgan as she prepares for her third. “There’s no such thing as a break in bodybuilding. Even when you’re in off-season, you still have to be building muscle.’’

Her daughters have already grasped the healthy lifestyle concept. “Being a good role model for my girls, that’s very important to me,’’ Morgan said.