If you see Carey Jonas around, be sure to tell him congrats.

You’ll know if you see him, too, because he’s kind of hard to miss.

The born-and-raised Bainbridge Islander recently, at age 50, won first place at the 2019 National Physique Committee’s Teen Collegiate and Masters National Bodybuilding Championship in the Masters Over 50 Heavyweight category, thus capping a decade of intensive training by earning an International Federation of Bodybuilding pro card — and the right to stand on even bigger stages in the future.

“A lot of people think, ‘Oh, man, at 50 you’re too old to do that kind of stuff.’ But I’m a true believer in the ‘age is just a number’ kind of thing; it’s all mental,” Jonas said. “I feel the same as I did when I was 30. It comes down to eating right and being active.”

And, of course, a lot of time in the gym — though maybe not as much as you’d think.

A professional business and technology consultant, Jonas has a life away from the weights, too. He said he spends no more than two hours a day, about six days a week (three on, one off, repeat) at the gym.

The champion-level difference, he said, is what he does everywhere else.

“The focus on nutrition is a piece that people don’t really think about as much,” Jonas said. “So many people think it’s all about calories, and to me it’s all about protein and the right mix of carbs and fats.

“It’s about eating the right foods.”

And catching the right amount of zzz’s, too.

“For me, sleep is actually as important as nutrition,” Jonas said. “If I get enough sleep, I feel a lot better in my training, and if I don’t I feel a little off.”

Lately, though, he’s been very, very on.

Earlier this year, Jonas won first place in the 2019 Tanji Johnson Classic in both the Open (any age) Heavyweight and Masters Over 40 categories. It set him up nicely to compete at the Masters National Championship and he felt good — as good as he could, that is.

“I knew I’d improved my physique from the last time I’d competed … and I felt good about that, but you never know who’s going to show up on a given day,” he said. “I didn’t know I’d won until literally they called my name. It was very, very close, especially with one other guy in particular. But the difference really came down to, he was probably a little bit bigger, but I came in a lot more shredded.

“Judges tend to give a little bit more credit for people that are more conditioned,” he explained. “It’s harder to do and then, if the other person had gotten as conditioned maybe they wouldn’t have as much size either.”

Still, for a guy heralded for his ability to pose and flex in front of a large crowd while wearing itty-bitty briefs, Jonas said he’s not one for the spotlight.

“This is what pushes me out of my comfort zone; I’m not someone who really loves to get up on stage,” he said.

However, he intends to press on and dip his toe into the world of pro-level competitions. And, rather than the drain you might imagine such arduous physical activity to be, Jonas said it’s a wonderful balance to the rest of his life.

“To me, this is a good balance for the client work,” he said. “This training makes me better at work. It gets my mind off of work for a period of time and I’m able to do something that’s active so that when I get back to the client work, I come back with a fresh mind, fresh perspective and able to think about things a lot more clearly.”

A lifelong athlete, Jonas, who moved back to Bainbridge about 12 years ago after temporarily relocating elsewhere, said at about age 40 he’d thought to channel his original passions from his Bainbridge High days — swimming, soccer and track — into competing in triathlons, but ultimately found his way to bodybuilding instead.

“I’d been working out here and there and not really doing much of anything, so I decided to either take it seriously or not,” he said.

“It made sense, but one summer I’d planned to do a triathlon but I had a conflict, so I decided to focus on some strength training before getting back to endurance and talked with a trainer about how to approach strength training and he asked me what I was eating. I said two-and-a-half meals a day and he said, ‘You’re starving yourself! You’ll never gain on that.’

“And so basically we talked about nutrition and how to approach it differently and the change I saw in literally over three or four weeks got me hooked on strength training. So I never went back to the triathlon side of things.”

Jonas credits much of his current success to the lessons learned during his time as a student athlete.

“The swim club on the island has historically been a powerhouse in the state, and growing up in that environment, where everybody is really pushing and achieving but is also very collaborative and team-oriented, it was a great environment to grow up in,” he said.

But whether you’re at the pool or the gym, the oft-sought secret to fitness is the same, according to the champ.

“For me, I enjoy it,” he said. “What’s the key to getting fit? To staying in shape? It’s finding something joyous. It is critical to find something you’re going to repeat, that you’re not doing just to get in shape because you’ll lose interest, get distracted. But if it’s something you enjoy, you’ll stick with it.

“For me, what I like about [bodybuilding is] the consistency,” he added. “If I’m doing the same thing over and over again, I always know if I’m making progress; if I’m either pushing more reps or bumping up the weight, that’s what tells me I’m making progress.”

But he’s not made of stone. And, trophy in hand, title acquired, when the champ did take some time off and give in to a craving or two, what treats did he choose?

“I’m always craving something cheesy and doughy — pizza, waffles, grilled-cheese sandwiches, for whatever reason those are the things I miss the most,” Jonas laughed. “And doughy sweets, like doughnuts, those are things I don’t eat and those are the things I probably miss the most.”

To learn more about Jonas and get updates as he begins preparing for his first pro-level competition later this year, follow him on Instagram (ifbbpro_careyjonas).