Picking up a new sport in her 30s

Erin Aulik was a cheerleader and a dancer during her high school years, but she wasn’t really into competitive sports.

A teacher for the last 18 years, she waited until her late 30s to become a competitive athlete, but now that she is, there is no stopping her.

Aulik first discovered body building at the age of 37 two years ago. At 39, she is a rising star in the sport and has turned pro, which means she can earn prize money.

Covid blahs

So how did she get started?

“I work out at Lifetime Sports in Plymouth,” she said. “During COVID-19, I worked at home, teaching on line. As time went on, I began feeling lonely and out of shape, and I told myself, ‘You just can’t sit at home anymore.’”

Aulik enrolled in a fitness class at Lifetime and began to work with a trainer. “I made the change from cardio work to lifting weights,” she said. “He taught me what I didn’t know and helped my confidence. One time, a group of us went to a body building show to watch my trainer compete. I thought, ‘Oh, wow!’ Maybe I could do this.”

The first show

In April of 2023, Aulik competed in a show for the first time. “I was so excited,” she said. “But when I got on stage with the bright lights and the judges, I was shaking. I was able to bring home some [top-five] medals in all of my categories. Since then, I have done three other shows. And now I realize what it takes to be successful.”

One important aspect of competition for Aulik is that she only competes in drug-free body building events. That means no steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs. “I am proud to be in this division,” she said. “Proud to be a natural body builder. Testing is part of the sport. The winners have to take urine tests and I have had three polygraph tests.”

Fitness and posing

There are two major areas of focus for body builders. One is the athletes fitness (presentation on stage) and the other is posing.

“You need to showcase your physique,” Aulik said. Most body builders rely on weight training to build their physiques.

As for posing, a coach can be extremely helpful.

“I have a posing coach, Rebekah Morrissey,” Aulik said. “Peter Fitschen is my trainer and nutrition coach. Rebekah has helped me fine-tune the art of posing. Peter is so knowledgeable about fitness and nutrition.”

Aulik’s favorite foods are also ones that are good for body building. “I like to eat varieties of chicken, Greek yogurt and Cream of Rice cereal,” she said.

Champion in Iowa

Body building competitions are held year-round in most states. Iowa is the farthest that Aulik has traveled to a competition so far. She won the Natural Iowa championship. Another of her highlights was placing second in the Mr. and Mrs. Natural Minnesota body building show this year in Bloomington.

Now that the school year is beginning, Aulik is heading toward her busiest time of the year. Her two children attend Wayzata schools and she teaches kindergarten in the Osseo School District.

Husband’s key role

“When I am training for a show, that can be hard on my family,” Aulik said. “No one can be successful in body building without support from their spouse. My husband Tom takes care of our kids when I’m training. And he makes sure that I get eight hours of sleep every night. At the show in Iowa, he helped me at every step. He touched up my tan and took pictures and videos.”

Aulik sometimes reflects on her rapid rise as a body builder.

Unexpected passion

“Unexpectedly, I found my passion in my late 30s,” she said. “I never expected I would become a professional athlete. I decided early in life that I wanted to be a teacher. I landed in kindergarten and I am happy to stay there for a while. When the students move on to higher grades, I still get to see them. When they go into first grade, I can say they were mine last year.”

While teaching has always gone smoothly for Aulik, body building is another story.

“Body building is the hardest thing I have ever done,” she said. “But it is also incredibly rewarding. I am more disciplined and mentally tougher now than I have ever been. And I’ve never been in better shape.”

Aulik was asked if she has any advice for others who want to go into body building.

Her answer came one sentence: “Stay natural and realize how challenging body building will be.”