‘Doing it on my own’: How Geelong’s strong mum finds strength
Victory to become Miss Australia in the IFBB Pro Figures makes single mum Lisa Saygun Geelong’s first female pro bodybuilder with the federation - a win she says her son has fuelled.
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Single mum Lisa Saygun says her son’s strength is what inspired her to become Geelong’s first female professional bodybuilder, following her triumph to become Miss Australia in the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Pro Figure championships.
Ms Saygun’s six year old son, Kye, was born with half a heart and has since endured seven major open heart surgeries and has gone into cardiac arrest as well as suffered a stroke.
At the time he was given a one per cent chance of survival.
“When you’re going through a traumatic experience I personally find a way to manage is by having an outlet to put all that pain, hurt and trauma into,” she said.
“Bodybuilding has been one of those things that has allowed me to throw all my emotions and energy into and consequently has allowed me to manage my sick child and be the best mum I can be mentally and emotionally.”
Ms Saygun first started competing in 2006 but took a number of years off while she cared for her son.
She said over Kye’s lifetime, the pair has spent more than 630 days in hospital.
“The first two years of him being in hospital, I didn’t have an outlet, respectfully speaking it drove my batty, there was no way to self-regulate my emotions. I was a single mum doing it on my own,” she said.
“I went back to what I knew was my happy place for an hour a day, focusing on my passion project- which was me.”
Last month Ms Saygun took out the Victorian bodybuilding titles, making her a professional athlete now vying to became Australia’s first female competitor to win the Olympia.
Previously competing as an amateur, Ms Saygun will need to win a professional competition in order to gain access to the Olympia.
“I’m working towards it now, I have a 12-month goal for that,” she said.
“It has been 17 years and 51 shows in my lifetime to get me to this point of becoming a professional athlete.
“When it comes to pressure, with Kye’s health, my personal business and my own training, I work well.
“I believe I am capable of doing this and I have an amazing team around me.”
Running her own holistic body transformation business called Lisa Saygun Body Fit, she said her focus is on the five pillars of health being mental, emotional, spiritual, nutritional and physical.
“My ultimate goal is to redefine how women see health and helping them become the best version of themselves,” she said.
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Originally published as ‘Doing it on my own’: How Geelong’s strong mum finds strength
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