Category Fit Attitudes

What Happens When You Skip Meals

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skipping-meals1-e1349463891760-300x274

You might be under the impression that skipping meals benefits you since you aren’t taking in calories constantly. Well, I’ve got news for you. By skipping meals, you are putting the brakes on your metabolism. Think of it this way. When a fire is burning in a fireplace, the intensity of the fire dies down dramatically when there are only embers and no logs on the pile. Skipping meals has the same effect. What makes it even worse is that, since the metabolism is now extremely sluggish, when you finally DO eat something, your body can’t break down the food as efficiently, and more of it ends up being stored as fat.

If you skip meals, you probably suffer to some extent from malnutrition, since you aren’t consuming sufficient nutrients throughout the course of the day. Chronic malnutrition can trigger the development and progression of a multitude of diseases. The sharp drops in blood sugar which occur as a result of skipped meals cause an increase in insulin resistance, which can result in the development of diabetes.

When you consider how much of a negative health impact skipping meals has, why would you ever do it?

Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight

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NPC Team Universe July 6, 2013. The day I earned my PRO CARD!

NPC Team Universe July 6, 2013. The day I earned my PRO CARD!

The first time I heard the phrase that serves as this article’s title, I remember how it resonated with me. I come from a single-parent household and remember seeing how my mother struggled on a very limited income. Somehow she always managed to get by, though I remember every meal being stretched with large servings of Japanese white rice. In fact I remember being quite puzzled the first time I visited a classmate’s house and was served soup without a hunk of rice floating in it. I thought everyone was poor and had to stretch every meal. There were times my mom would splurge and bring home lamb shoulder chops, which I would eat very slowly so that I could prolong the sheer joy of eating such a delectable meat. My mother believed that education was the most important thing and was determined to keep me in private school despite the fact that it meant forgoing many creature comforts. We lived in an old apartment with many donated furnishings. I couldn’t have a car when I was sixteen so my mom and I shared her car. But I was truly happy, and knew that my mom gave me the most love and encouragement a parent could possibly provide.

My mother encouraged me to pursue all my interests, which ranged widely from medicine to illustration, modeling, fashion design, acting, music and foreign languages. She believed in me, made me feel like I was unstoppable, and also made sure my goals were challenging enough for me. Instead of choosing something from the list to pursue, I decided I wanted to tackle them all. I remember my mother struggling financially during my senior year of high school. She didn’t have the money for tuition, so she borrowed it from her siblings so that she could keep me in the same school I had been at for eight years. Her determination to keep me in the same school enabled me to graduate from high school at the age of sixteen at the same place I had established relationships and developed a comfort level. During that time I was able to design an entire clothing line for a company, study several foreign languages, learn to play the guitar, dabble in graphic design, act in several pilots and commercials, and do all kinds of modeling. I had no idea at the time that the pressure to achieve great things set the stage for an eating disorder.

The precipitating event which pitched me into full-blown anorexia nervosa was a rape at the age of nineteen. The event was violent, traumatic, and for whatever reason, I would see my attacker’s face every time I looked in the mirror. I never understood why this kept happening but was so tortured by this that I set about making him disappear. For me this meant starving myself and taking laxatives, which I did for close to a year. I felt fat (which at 5’5” and 103 pounds, was clearly not the case), unattractive, ashamed, and frightened. I was relentless about making this man’s face disappear, which fueled my starvation attempts. At my lightest I got down to 85 pounds and felt like I was in hell. Right around that point I recall an acquaintance telling me that at the age of 20 I looked like a 40 year-old. He was a celebrity fitness trainer and seemed to know a great deal about human performance, so his words jolted me. But I still didn’t see the point he was trying to make.

A couple of weeks later a good friend visited me and took a number of candid photos and sent copies to me. When I looked at the photos, I finally saw the children’s size 12 jeans hanging on my skeletal body, and for the first time I truly saw how emaciated and unhealthy I looked. It was like a slap in the face. Why would I do this to myself? I had hit rock bottom and it was time to turn my life around. As soon as I realized what I was doing to myself, I threw away the laxatives, started eating regularly, began weight training and declared a major in exercise science. During my studies I also decided to enter a Japanese-American beauty pageant and won the title for my region, fulfilling a dream I had since childhood. I had finally healed from the rape and from my eating disorder.

Shortly after that, I obtained my bachelor’s degree and began training clients as a fitness trainer.
For many years I worked as a trainer while also working as an optometric technician and a personal assistant to a stand-up comic. I wanted to keep my life as varied as possible because I had such diverse interests and talents. After a few years I realized that my childhood interest in medicine as a career was still very much alive, so at the age of 30 I applied to medical school. To my surprise, I was accepted, whereupon I began my medical training. During those years I became very discouraged and resentful of the fact that the balance in my life was disrupted so violently. However, I got through it all, somehow cramming in the plethora of medical terms that medical students must learn during their training. There were three things which helped me to endure the rigors of training: 1) my mother’s belief that I could accomplish anything I set my mind to, 2) the joy of helping patients, and 3) my exercise regimen.

I got such a rush from knowing I had made a patient feel more comfortable and understood why the Hippocratic oath is, “First, do no harm”. I felt great empathy for patients and learned I had a bedside manner which set patients’ minds at ease. Throughout all my training, including internship when I would work over 100 hours in a week, I was so determined to keep up with my exercise that I would drag myself to the gym 3 or 4 days a week and train, knowing I would feel better afterwards. Regular exercise kept me balanced, allowed me to have time for myself and also gave me extra energy to power through the most grueling days in the wards. Perhaps I wasn’t in competition shape, but I was in very decent shape at that time, and that was fine with me. I was certainly in much better shape than my colleagues because I never made excuses to keep me from going to the gym.

Being fit and engaging in regular exercise was always essential for me. It has always been there, like a good friend, keeping me aware of the magical instrument of my body, helping me to remain focused throughout all the challenges in my life. I had no idea that my relationship with fitness would be taken to the next level when I attended the NPC California State Bodybuilding, Figure and Bikini Championships in May of 2009. While sitting there watching the bikini competitors strut their stuff, I was approached by two people who encouraged me to compete in the bikini division. I pondered this idea for a couple of days. I was fast approaching my 43rd birthday. I had been laid off from my job as an outpatient physician and thought this would be the perfect “bucket list” item. Why not? I could say that I got onstage in front of hundreds of people in essentially my underwear.

I decided to register for the NPC Los Angeles on July 18th, 2009. I was completely clueless about how to prep my body for the competition and remember frantically looking up information online for tanning, suits and accessories. I remember being backstage before prejudging and thinking I was a complete fool for buying an off-the-rack suit, for sponging on my tan, and for having no clue about how to do my hair and makeup for stage. I still thought I would compete that day and just check off that “onstage in underwear in my 40’s” box, writing it off as an interesting experience in my life.

What happened instead was that I was bitten by the bug. My desire to reach a personal best, coupled with the inspiring energy of being surrounded by like-minded individuals, fueled me and helped me get over my stage fright. Any shred of shyness I may have had prior to that day melted away. I was also amazed by how many competitors had overcome eating disorders, molestation, obesity, disability, cancer and other major medical issues. I decided to do a second show and was shocked when I placed first in master’s bikini. It gave me the drive and determination to keep hanging another carrot in front of me and transform my body. I was given a platform by which I could reach a personal best which I had never reached before. And best of all, I could look at my 40-something body and say, “now this body could rival that of a 20-something!”

I ended up competing in 7 regional events, 14 Pro-qualifiers, and once I attained IFBB Professional Status in July of 2013, I competed in four Pro events. I became more polished in my presentation and learned something from every contest, whether it had to do with posing, tanning, suits, makeup, etc.

What I realize now as an IFBB Bikini Pro and fitness professional is that the transformation a competitor experiences is far more than physical. It is mental, emotional and spiritual. My spiritual journey has been encouraging, empowering and insightful. Through whatever challenge life throws my way, I now know I have the strength to overcome them all. What’s more, the fire in the belly that drives me to keep getting onstage to be scrutinized heavily by judges gives me concrete goals which lend great focus to what I want to achieve in life. I want to keep getting better and better, and am aware of that goal every time I hit the gym. I want to achieve the pinnacle of fitness and success. We are all infused with great strength because we can create goals and REACH them.

Onstage and in the Wings

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With the amazing Liz Fitchner at Team Universe, July 2013

With the amazing Liz Fitchner at Team Universe, July 2013


People often ask me what it is like to be up on stage, very scantily clad and fully cognizant of the fact that I am being scrutinized by a panel of judges. There is so much about competing that is appealing, fascinating and inspiring, but there are also many strange and frustrating elements which competitors deal with which can challenge their determination in the sport.

The thrill of strutting out onstage and showing off a hard-earned physique is incredibly empowering, especially when a competitor gets first call-out. The obvious physical transformation is invariably accompanied by an emotional and spiritual overhaul. The audience sees the best of this since they are attending a show. But the backstage world which they don’t see is incredibly colorful and revealing.

Before the competition, many competitors look like hoodlums, bums or like they just crawled out of bed, clad in baggy, dark clothing. The dark skin hues which competitors must sport are more reminiscent of mahogany furniture than human skin. Food coolers are packed with chicken, nut butter, rice cakes, and possibly booze for the celebration afterwards. Every show starts out with a mad scramble after the morning meeting for a prime spot backstage to prep. The ladies cluster around the few full-length mirrors that have been placed around the perimeter of the room. The men cluster around the weights.

It can be maddening and stressful to be in the company of competitors who are so carb-depleted that they are cranky, forgetful and unable to focus on basic streams of conversation. Some are so weak and dehydrated that they are on the verge of passing out. A competitor may have a meltdown because his music cd was misplaced. The overpowering odor of spray tanner admixed with the telltale gaseous emissions of very high protein diets is commonplace. Some abdominals are grossly distended by creatine bloat. A competitor may be freaking out because of a broken suit strap, or makeup being spilled onto a suit, now ruining it…with no backup suit on hand. There are meltdowns with makeup and hair. There are lost earrings and shoes. The fear of water exposure is at an all-time high.

Then once everyone is prepped, there is the interminable wait. When a division and class are announced, there is a mad scramble to get in line. Individuals who bring Bikini Bite suddenly become the most popular people backstage.
Then suddenly a competitor is onstage. Somehow all the stress from being backstage, from dieting and training for months all melts away as that person now has a chance to do turns and show off a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication. Those few moments make it all worthwhile.

Speedplay

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If you are in the Los Angeles area and are ready to shake up your exercise regimen, why not check out Speedplay? It’s offered at Urban Med in Beverly Hills and in downtown Los Angeles. You can sign up for classes easily by going online.

Please read below for a description of what Speedplay is all about:

Speedplay is revolutionary high-intensity interval training. Run, row, suspend, and lift for LA’s most effective workout. Created by personal trainer Xavier Quimbo and chiropractor Ryan Pendon, Speedplay was born out of the need for a hard, effective, and exclusive training class for everyone from beginners to elite performance athletes. Envisioned as a creative workout atmosphere, classes are fast-paced and playlist-curated.

‘fartlek’ //

a system of training in which pace is continually varied to eliminate boredome and enhance psychological aspects of conditioning

run //

Featuring the Woodway Curve: a non-motorized treadmill powered only by you. The Curve’s design creates a safer and more comfortable running surface; rubber slat treads glide on ball bearings, creating minimal friction and consuming no electricity whatsoever. The running surface absorbs the harmful impact on your joints and connective tissue without sacrificing real running mechanics. And because you control speed, you get specialized training that isn’t possible on a conventional treadmill. Run harder, engage more muscle groups, and train core stability without the wear and tear, and get the most effective running workout possible.

row //

Featuring the Concept 2 Model D rower : ergonomically designed handles, adjustable foot rests, and a flywheel design that minimizes noise while maximizing a smooth feel. An aluminum rail and stainless steel track give you consistent pull as you produce one of the more comprehensive, full-body workouts of any fitness machine in the industry. Develop core power and leg strength without over-taxing the back.

suspend //

Featuring TRX Suspension Training : designed to engage the body as a single coordinated system. It may look like a very basic piece of equipment, but its versatility is impressive. The TRX Suspension Trainer is the original, best-in-class workout system that leverages gravity and your bodyweight to perform hundreds of exercises. Basic exercises like the pushup and the squat will never look the same, and the beauty of its nature is that it makes it easy to transition fluidly from one exercise to the next improving strength, endurance, balance, and coordination without skipping a beat. And because you move your body through space suspended in mid air, your core is forced into overdrive.

http://www.speedplayla.com/

The Costs Of Competing

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Overall Team U Pic 2

A number of competitors have asked me recently how much they should expect to spend on competing, which prompted me to write this post. Competitive bodybuilding can get pretty expensive, so you should be prepared to invest some coin in your prep and contests. When I calculated the total amount which was spent by my sponsors and me on all associated costs (coaching, suits, tanning, entry fees, flight, hotel, rental car, supplements, food, shoes, makeup, etc.) which got me to the seven national qualifiers and fourteen pro qualifiers I competed in during the amateur portion of my contest history (2009 through 2013), I was shocked. The total came to over $100,000! Thank goodness my sponsors paid for the majority of those expenses, because otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to hit the national stage the way I did. Obviously the drive to compete took over me, and demanded a tremendous amount of financial and personal sacrifice which I was willing to make.

Over the years I have spoken with other competitors who have had the same drive to compete who have done stupid and risky things in order to keep competing. Though I took financial risks during my Pro Card chase, I didn’t have children or a spouse to worry about, so my behavior didn’t put anyone else at risk. I admit I had foolishly pushed myself to the limit in the past, knowing that as a consequence I would not be able to afford more basic living expenses, but I got wiser as I continued to compete. I have heard of others who have done similar things, with some competitors risking all they owned for the chance to continue competing. Let me be very clear: Pro status will never help you to cushion a nest egg, so if you are risking financial security for the sake of competing, you had better take a good, long look at the reasons why your obsession with competing is pushing the need for basic survival into the corner. It’s time for a reality check.

Be sensible about the money you spend on competing and set a competition budget which doesn’t put undue strain on your finances. Before I went Pro, I established a separate “show fund” in which I set aside money for competitions, so I was always aware of what I could and could not afford. Once a budget is set, it is important to limit oneself to the number of competitions which will keep one within budget. This can be challenging, especially when one is on a mad quest to chase a national qualification or Pro status.

I always advise competitors who frequently compete to search for potential sponsors. I have had competitors ask me how to obtain sponsorship and who also lament the fact that it is exceedingly difficult to land sponsorship from a supplement company. My response to this is that sponsors can come in all forms! Here are some suggestions for potential sponsors:

Fans
Friends and family
Business associates
Smaller supplement companies

The trick to asking for sponsorship is to graciously ask for assistance in paying for an event. Remember that even a small amount will help. I have competed at events which have been sponsored by a number of entities, with the tan covered by one, entry fee covered by another, flight by yet another, etc.

If your budget is really tight, stick to nearby contests so you don’t have to pay outrageous travel expenses. If you are nationally qualified, you will be somewhat stuck since there are only seven national level events each year, and they place in very specific geographic areas. You might have to limit the number of Pro qualifying events you enter if your budget is very limited. However, I know the feeling of having to hit all the national events in a year in order to maximize one’s chances at a Pro Card. Even when I was sure I would not be able to afford doing a bunch of national events back to back, I somehow managed to to it because I wanted that Pro Card SO badly. I will be quite blunt and tell you that if you are a nationally qualified master’s competitor, you are probably better off confining your stage time to Pro qualifiers which have master’s divisions. That means that there are three chances at a Pro Card each year for you: NPC Team Universe, Master’s Nationals, and IFBB North American.

Other ways you can keep costs down while still hunting for that Pro Card are to stay with friends or family when you travel to Pro-qualifiers, or share a hotel room with one or more competitors. I strongly advise you to avoid sharing a room with people who are in your height or weight class, though, because it can be torture if you face off against each other onstage, and one of you does well while the other doesn’t. It could get uncomfortable or even ugly.

Even if you don’t have far to travel (those of you who live in the tri-state area are in a good spot geographically for several national events), you still need to pay for coaching, competition suits, spray tanning, supplements, food, shoes, makeup and stage accessories. The stream of contest related expenses is exhaustive, so you need to be prepared. There are ways to cut costs down, but whatever you do, don’t scrimp on quality. You still need to bring a polished and well-conditioned package to the stage.

Question On My Fan Page About Food Additives

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Some guy wrote in on my Facebook Fan Page on June 14 at 1:13am with the following question:

“Why is their Xanthan Gum and Sucralose in Whey 100 Ultra Clean when that will make it harmfull to the body how can you loose weight and build lean muscle with those types of harmfull ingredients put in whey?”

I hadn’t seen the question until now, so I wanted to make sure I posted a response. Here it is:

Xanthan gum is a plant based thickening agent which may cause some digestive issues in those who already suffer from digestive maladies, in which case they probably wouldn’t be ingesting whey in the first place. As for the sucralose, there is a huge controversy regarding potential harm from consuming it, yet nothing conclusive. I am personally not a huge fan of sucralose, but truth be told, it is in many food items. In addition, it can be very difficult to make a palatable whey protein formula without sucralose, since stevia can be very bitter. Please be aware that I am not in any way involved with the manufacture of Royal Sport Ltd. products but I definitely consider them to be some of the best in the industry. Bear in mind that the vast majority of sports supplement products are full of additives, so in this case I think we are talking about choosing products which are on the less offensive end of the spectrum when it comes to flavorings and additives.

Menopausal Weight Gain

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spare trunk woman
Menopause can really break a woman’s spirit, for countless reasons. Her ability to reproduce comes to a screeching halt, her nether regions may start to resemble an arid climate, hot flashes may make her feel like she is spontaneously combusting, and she may have mood swings that would make the Tazmanian Devil look like a calm little bugger in comparison. But it’s the weight gain which often upsets menopausal women the most. Menopausal women will notice that if they drop their caloric intake, weight won’t drop at all, even though it may have easily melted off in the past.

That’s because the plummeting levels of progesterone and estrogen also adversely affect a woman’s ability to mobilize fat. Cortisol levels can go unchecked as a result of the low levels of progesterone and estrogen, and any extra calories will end up getting stored as fat. If a menopausal woman is at a caloric deficit, the switch flips in favor of burning muscle instead of turning to the storage fat she so desperately wants to incinerate. This is especially true for the adipose (fat) tissue around the midsection, because cortisol is notorious for padding that area with extra fat, resulting in an ever expanding belly. Another unfortunate consequence of cortisol is that levels will rise dramatically with prolonged intense exercise. The key is to have more abbreviated, yet still intense, exercise sessions so that the cortisol release is also accompanied by a boost in HGH and testosterone, thus conferring a protective effect on muscle.

Basically, the WORST thing you can do if you are in the midst of menopausal hell and struggling with weight gain is to engage in lengthy gym sessions. That might work for a 20 year old, but it can be devastating for a 50 year old. If you are a gym rat like me, you can still train up to six days per week (that’s how frequently I train), but keep your sessions intense but relatively short, between 30 to 60 minutes. If you train beyond that time window, the excess cortisol release will only trigger your body to cling to fat.

Menopausal women also experience an increase in carbohydrate sensitivity, which means that carbohydrate-rich meals which they used to be able to consume in their younger years without much consequence will suddenly wreak havoc on that waistline. The extra carbs settle in for a long and uninvited stay in the midsection and end up making women miserable. Because of this, dietary shifts need to be implemented in which the intake of starches and grains is dramatically reduced, while the consumption of more lean protein and green vegetables is increased. I also strongly recommend supplementing the diet with digestive enzymes and probiotics to optimize gut health and digestion of different foods.

Why Whey Protein Is The Key To Anti-Aging

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Original post can be found at:

http://www.sportsnutritionsupplementguide.com/health-wellness/anti-aging/item/1519-why-whey-protein-is-the-key-to-anti-aging#.VZ2WSvlViko

Fitpicture310x250

Adequate protein intake is vital to anyone seeking to preserve muscle mass, especially since the aging process threatens the loss of all that hard-earned muscle through a process called sarcopenia. Sarcopenia causes a loss of muscle mass and strength in all individuals as they age, even in die-hard gym addicts.

The aging process hits us with a double whammy because 1) our dietary protein needs increase over time, and 2) our ability to synthesize new proteins plummets as a consequence of diminished levels of testosterone, human growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor-1. In other words, it becomes tougher and tougher to meet the aging body’s protein needs, and the result is a loss of muscle.

One of the biggest challenges in meeting the protein demands of the body as we age is the physical challenge of consuming adequate protein. Protein powders are an excellent means of meeting protein requirements in a low bulk form since they are dissolved in liquid. Whey protein in particular is an excellent protein source for anyone over the age of 30, provided they have no issues with allergy or intolerance to whey.

Whey protein is rich in branched chain amino acids, especially leucine, which is considered the most important branched chain amino acid for protein synthesis, especially in older people. Branched chain amino acids are also responsible for proper dermal collagen protein synthesis, so they play a huge role in the condition of the skin, maintaining its suppleness and tone.

Another age-related benefit of supplementing one’s diet with whey protein is the presence of lactoferrin, which fortifies bone and prevents osteoporotic fractures by activating osteoblasts. Whey protein also contains high levels of cysteine, an amino acid which boosts glutathione production. Glutathione, an antioxidant with powerful anti-aging effects, steadily declines naturally as we age, and since its production relies on the presence of cysteine, the introduction of whey protein into a meal plan can guard against age related diseases.

Whey protein has profound effects on glucose metabolism as well. It reduces serum glucose levels in healthy individuals while impairing glucose tolerance in diabetic and obese individuals. When consumed consistently as part of a sensible high protein meal plan, the result is a reduction in body weight and an increase in fat oxidation. This is due to the release of leptin, cholecystokinin, and glucagon like-peptide 1, all of which create a feeling of satiety.

In summary, the benefits of whey protein are numerous and significant, especially for older individuals. If you have yet to incorporate whey protein into your meal plan and you have been lamenting the ravages of Father Time, do yourself a favor and add whey protein to your daily regimen.

References: Sousa G et al. Dietary whey protein lessens several risk factors for metabolic diseases: a review. Lipids Health Disc. 2012;11:67