Cork bodybuilder and teacher Eva gives a lesson in following your dreams
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A Cork secondary school teacher is giving a lesson in determination after becoming the youngest bikini bodybuilder in Ireland to hold a pro card.
Teaching Irish and PE at Cork City's Gaelcholaiste Mhuire AG by day and training by night, 25-year-old Eva Roche is just one of three women in Ireland competing professionally in her category. She recently reigned supreme in the Muscle Contest Ireland competition which is an International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB) event.
The athlete had been persevering for five years to make her pro dream a reality. Despite the hard graft, Eva said she is too devoted to her students to consider leaving the classroom.
She has built up a legion of fans who have been following her victories, which include several UK wins.
"As busy as I am with competing, I could never step away from teaching," she told the . "It just means so much to me. I have a great bond with the kids and I think the sport that I do has a lot to do with this.
"I can't even begin to describe that feeling of being an inspiration to students. Having them wish me luck in contests and asking me how I got into this really brings me closer to them. Many kids are just starting to go to the gym at 15.
Her success has proved a source of inspiration for many students.
"Like with all schools not every student is going to be academically inclined. Some of my students see that I can be a teacher but I can also do this on the side. That's why they are asking me about other avenues to pursue such as personal training or becoming a nutritionist.
"It's really nice to be there for them and answer their questions. There are so many different possibilities."
As a child, Eva never anticipated she would grow up to be a professional bodybuilder.
"I think the only thing I ever wanted when I was small was to grow up to do something with animals. I had big dreams then. I knew I had the potential and that, whatever I did, it would be something very different."
Bodybuilding is a very competitive area but the Glanmire woman has never bowed to the pressures of the industry.
Referring to the increase of steroid misuse associated with the sport she said: "I did my first competition at 20 and that was untested. When I got first place I knew that success was achievable and I didn't need any of that stuff.
"I'm proud to know that I will never go down that route. Even though I'm up against athletes that have, I can still make an impact."
Eva acknowledged the determination required to make it in the business.
"I know there are women out there who have been competing for 15 years but still don't have pro status. It's not something you can walk into really. It's unheard of to get it at your first real attempt and especially at my age so I'm really grateful to have achieved this level of success so early on."
To keep competing, Eva needs to have a strict day-to-day routine. While there are days where she would prefer to skip the treadmill, but she concedes that it is the lifestyle she has chosen and she knows she has to stick with it.
In addition to her training, she will walk, prep her meals and maintain a healthy diet, all of which she has been doing for years, making it easier to stay the course. "It's taken me five years but this is all about habit-forming and routine," she said.
"When I was first starting out my food intake was a lot lower. You're initially getting rid of fat that you've never really shifted before. It's almost like you're getting rid of baby fat so it's stubborn.
"The amount of food I had never dropped below 1800 calories and that would have been my very lowest. It actually went up before the show so I was eating close to 2000 calories a day."
She says there are misconceptions about exercise and diet that can actually be counterintuitive. Restricting yourself to 900 calories a day for weight loss is "extremely unhealthy", she says, warning that people need to eat healthy diets to reap the benefits.
"If I was to look at my diet I probably eat more than my mum but it's all clean, whole, nutritious foods," she said, adding that she has always been a foodie at heart.
"My food intake comprises red meat, chicken, turkey and salmon so it's a really nice spread of meat. I also love tuna. Turmeric, lemon, chili and ginger are just some of the ingredients I add to my meals," she said.
"Everything I make looks like something that was dished out from a restaurant. There's a misconception that everything you eat has to be plain when you are competing but I love flavour more than anything else. A lot of what I make I'm such a foodie and wouldn't want it either way."
Eva said that Irish women on the bodybuilding scene are often underestimated.
"There are a lot of people who maintain that if you're not genetically gifted you're not going to reach these levels. They insist that only women from places like South America are capable of reaching these levels. Long term I would love to prove these women wrong by becoming the first Irish woman to get to the Olympic stage."
The secondary school teacher has kept her feet on the ground throughout the whole experience, though. She heaped praise on the role models in her life.
"My boyfriend is my rock and he supports me every single step of the way. He is an extremely inspiring person himself which is partly what motivated me to get to where I am today. He is constantly pushing me in the best way possible."
Eva's parents Lynda and Jim also provide invaluable support.
"Having my mum and dad coming to watch me compete was the pinnacle for me really. I'm just so happy to have their support."
Her proud parents are always on hand to help in the run-up to competitions.
"My dad used to come over trying to tempt me with chips. He loved bringing Pringles and chocolate too because he's always been a feeder. Now he'll bring up bananas or another healthy alternative. He's really got on board."