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Power nurse - Jones top bodybuilder for her size

OGDEN -- She might only weigh 103 pounds but underneath those nursing scrubs, Amber Jones packs a body of steel.

Jones, 27, an obstetrics technician at Ogden Regional Medical Center, is the figure short winner of Team USA's bodybuilding competition held in Las Vegas earlier this year.

She's also a gold medalist and Ms. Natural Olympia Figure Short in the Natural Olympia bodybuilding contest held in Reno last month.

"All of the competitors had been working so hard all year just for this show," she said. "There were competitors from all over -- Australia, Europe, Brazil and many others. So many competitors, it was scary."

Jones has always loved sports and played soccer and softball when she was a kid. When she was in high school, her mother bought the family a Gold's Gym membership.

That's when Jones got the bodybuilding bug.

"I loved going to the gym and working out with my mom," she said.

After she married her high school sweetheart, Clint Jones, the two became dedicated exercisers.

"That was the highest time in my life, to get my very first first-place win," Jones said. "It was the most amazing experience ever."

That qualified me for the Natural Olympia. The night of that competition I became a part of the Body Evolution team and I earned my pro card status."

"I love it. It's become a passion of mine. I work out with a lot of fun, motivating and inspiring people who believe in me and just kept pushing me until one day I finally got the guts to do a show," she said. "Best decision ever."

Jones trains six nights a week, which includes 45 minutes to an hour of weight training and 25 to 35 minutes of cardio.

Her first competition was the USA challenge in Bountiful in September, where she placed second and qualified for Team USA later that month.

"That was the highest time in my life, to get my very first first-place win," Jones said. "It was the most amazing experience ever."

That qualified me for the Natural Olympia. The night of that competition I became a part of the Body Evolution team and I earned my pro card status."

Jones is the daughter of Sandi Barker and Keith and Shelly Barker.

She was born in Ogden and raised in Roy and Harrisville.

After graduating from Fremont High School, she pursued her degree in nursing at Weber State University. Her obstetrics technician duties at the hospital include assisting physicians in the operating room with C-sections.

"Bringing new life into the world is the best feeling ever," she said.

Jones said being physically fit not only keeps her healthy and able to perform her duties at work, it also helps her feel better about herself both physically and mentally.

"It provides me with energy and makes me more relaxed, lowers my stress and anxiety levels," she said. "Regular exercise can be helpful in burning excess fat in your body and helps in toning your muscles.

"Even if your physical fitness program focuses mainly on specific areas of your body, you can observe changes in other parts of your body, too."

Jones said she likes to eat very clean, small portions of natural foods six to seven times a day.

"All of my meals consist of protein and carbs and good fats to keep my metabolism burning all day," she said. "My cheat food is almost always Iggy's sourdough bread with their red pepper dipping sauce."

Aside from working out, Jones likes to camp, be outdoors, four-wheel in the sand dunes, snowmobile, snowboard, lounge around the house with her husband and cat, and watch movies.

"Staying physically fit is not just practicing daily exercises for an hour. It's more about adding physical activity to your whole daily routine, like taking your dog for a walk or taking the stairs," she said. "But the gym is so much fun. You just have to make it an activity instead of an everyday chore.

"People who take care of themselves and feel good about themselves treat others so much better and are happier people."

Source - www.standard.net