FITNESS and a sublime figure mean the world to Moonee Ponds mother of two Julie Pilioglou.

Not only is she paid to inspire the next generation on to the fitness path at Essendon-Keilor College, where she is the physical education co-ordinator, Pilioglou, 40, has found her niche among the elite body sculptor competitors in Australia in just her first year of competition.

On July 10, she finished one point behind the winner in the INBA All-Female Classic intermediate section.

After a marathon onstage performance, which saw the judges scrutinise almost every inch of her body, she was named runner-up.

The judges chose specific competitors to step forward individually to be assessed further after the preliminary rounds.

Pilioglou, who says she enjoys her time onstage, was called forward six times. In the end, she fell one point short of the win.

“some of the judges came up to me afterwards and said they hoped to see me later in the year at the Australian and Victorian titles. some had marked me ahead, so it was very close,” Pilioglou said.

At last year’s world championships on the Gold Coast, Pilioglou finished unplaced, but she says she was nowhere near her best.

The experience, though, proved invaluable, and she believes she will be better for it next time.

Whether or not next time means this year remains to be seen, as the 2010 world titles will be held in Nevada.

“Obviously you need finances and that sort of stuff to travel over there,” she said.

But Pilioglou is determined to secure a title, and says she won’t retire until she has one.

Pilioglou was inspired to take up body sculptor competitions back when she was a personal trainer. “I was in the gym with a lot of trainers competing and I was in awe of the body, so I said to myself ‘I’d like to do it one day’.”

Since taking it up, she has been amazed by the changes to her body.

“It (my body) became a science experiment,” she said.

But every impressive muscle has taken much time, hard work and, above all else, discipline, to develop.

Having always been a healthy eater, adapting to a strict diet was easier for Pilioglou than it would have been for most.

While she upped her food intake from the usual three meals a day to about six, the ingredients used to create those dishes were very specific. “Chicken, fish, lettuce and asparagus,” she said when asked what she ate leading up to the competition. “you have to cut out lots of foods and only eat things that are high in protein and low in carbohydrates.”

A usual day leading up to a competition would consist of Pilioglou eating five eggs – but only one yolk, sweet potato and oats with berries for breakfast, a protein shake and some fruit mid-morning, salad with chicken or fish for lunch, another protein shake with some nuts mid-afternoon, and dinner would be the same as lunch.

Eating well was the most important aspect to being a success in body sculptor, she said.

Exercise and lots of it is the other key component.

“Most do weights every second day then increase cardio, such as running, cycling and stepping as they get closer to the competition,” Pilioglou said.

“I did about three weights sessions a week. They were half-hour sessions so I ended up doing one-and-a-half-to-two hours of weights each week.

“then there is all the cardio, which I did morning and night.

“I spoke to my kids and said to them I could be a bit cranky leading up to the competition, but they’re very supportive.”

Pilioglou also draws support from her students, who have taken an interest in her body’s development.

“All the students who see the photos are blown away,” she says.

“some of the boys ask about what they can do to build up.”

In addition to her duties at school and her countless hours training, Pilioglou is a spin instructor at gyms in Essendon and Niddrie and a relief cycle instructor at the Windy Hill gym.

“It’s a busy schedule but it’s a passion,” she said.