Hey everyone! I wanted to check in with you to see what you would like to see on my blog. Since I have been posting every single day, it can be a real challenge to come up with content to post. For that reason, I am not as prone to write lengthy posts.
I have also decided to change my posting frequency to three days per week from now on. I will post every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday or Sunday.
Here is a list of topics which I typically cover:
Preventative health
Optimal health
Brain health
Medical conditions
Anti-aging
Nutrition
Healthy recipes
Supplements
Weightlifting
Exercise
Fitness
Bodybuilding
Sports
Cosmetic Dermatology
Skincare
Makeup
Personal grooming
Empowerment
Modeling
Branding
Fashion
Bodybuilding contests and prep
Music
Pets
Relationships
Travel
Comedy
Entertainment
I welcome suggestions from you! Please reply to this post and let me know how I can best accommodate your interests.
Last fall, I began taking flying trapeze classes and loved the challenge of performing tricks while suspended in the air. What I did not enjoy was being up on the pedestal board, which is the 12 inch deep platform that performers stand on and launch from. Even though I don’t have a significant fear of heights, that damned platform would freak me out every single time I went up there. When you set up to launch off the board, you have to lean completely forward, either by holding onto the side rail or having someone hold you at the waist while you lean waaaaaaay forward. It’s completely unnerving. After three flying trapeze classes, and twenty visits to that blasted board, I still hated being up on the board so much that it distracted me from the joy I felt when I was finally swinging on the trapeze. I could no longer deal with the feeling that my heart wanted to leap out of my chest every time I stood on the board, so I abandoned my pursuit of the flying trapeze.
Though I was pretty much done with flying trapeze, I began to consider taking classes in static trapeze, bungee trapeze, and lyra hoop. I also looked into aerial silks and was so fascinated that I had determined that it was the aerial art I wanted to try next. My roommate and friend Myra bought me a silks class session for Christmas (thank you Myra!), so my opportunity to try silks came about even sooner than I had expected. I booked a class session and headed over to the dance studio earlier this week after work.
The instructor, Kylie, was very friendly and really knew how to explain the tricks in a way which anyone could understand. She showed me the first move, which was a straddle mount inversion. You can see a straddle mount inversion demonstrated in this video:
After Kylie demonstrated the move, she had me come up and try it. I grabbed the silks and attempted to jump into a straddle. No go. My legs folded in and I sank to the mat. I tried a second time and got it, but I didn’t look nearly as graceful as the former ballerina who was now trying to instruct me on the art of aerial silks.
We then did the single foot lock:
And aerial splits:
Throughout the class, I also did arabesques and other ballet-inspired moves while suspended on the silks (it’s a good thing I took basic ballet when I was a kid!). At the end of the 75 minute class in aerial silks, my interest had not waned. I was intrigued. I loved the challenge of using the strength in my abdominals and arms, but the forearm tendinitis and achiness in my wrists and hands became limiting factors in my stamina, so I have some concerns about taxing my body by taking more classes. There are other obstacles as well: 1. lack of free time, 2. lack of funds, and 3. not wanting to remember all the choreography in my already very full brain.
If you are considering taking aerial silks, be aware that you will be at a distinct advantage if you have a strong upper body, because you will be supporting your body weight with your upper body for the majority of the time. If you have severe arthritis in your shoulders, elbows, wrists or hands, you will not enjoy silks. This is a VERY challenging art!
The ravages of competition prep and impending menopause caused me to hold water in my midsection and hamstrings for over a year, and I became despondent and desperate as a result. Nothing seemed to work. Then I took an ALCAT food intolerance test in January of 2015 and discovered that I had an intolerance to a bunch of different foods, so I eliminated the majority of them.
However, I stubbornly kept whey protein in, and chose to ignore the fact that I had a moderate intolerance to it. I would have been fine if I had just consumed whey protein a couple of times per week, but I was ingesting 60-70 grams of whey protein every single day. What kept me in that vicious cycle was an incredibly busy schedule which made it difficult for me to get all of my protein from whole foods.
In late September, upon Ian Lauer’s strong suggestion, I decided to finally eliminate whey protein powder from my diet. I added more animal protein from whole food sources (mostly from MAW Nutrition), and replaced about 25 grams of whey powder with a serving of Muscle Egg. Two weeks later, the water retention issues I had been struggling with completely vanished. I could finally see the lateral borders of my rectus abdominis clearly, and no longer created a fluid ripple when I tapped my belly.
I’m not saying I am ripped as a result of switching to egg protein, but boy, did it make a difference in my level of leanness! This won’t work for everyone though. If you have an issue with egg protein, the opposite effect may occur. In my case, I discovered that my body processes egg protein quite well. I also became a huge fan of Muscle Egg and now have it in my house at all times. I generally limit myself to one serving of Muscle Egg per day, but I also love the occasional nighttime Muscle Egg crepe with Walden Farms Chocolate Syrup on top for a sweet treat.
One last thing about whey protein: I still consume it on occasion. However, I only eat it in B-Up Bars and P28 Products, and I don’t have any issue with these food items. I have, however, completely avoided whey protein powder for the time being, and hope that my body resets as a result.
This suit is GORGEOUS! It’s a custom Ravish Sands competition bikini, perfect for the NPC or IFBB Bikini competitor who wants to be a golden goddess! The base of the suit is a hologram yellow, and the top and the front of the bottoms are heavily crystallized with Swarovski crystals. The gold and rhinestone chain connectors are so flattering to the hips too!
I paid $500 to have this suit made, and wore it on the IFBB Pro stage at two events in 2014. The suit is in fantastic condition, with no missing crystals or signs of wear, and there is only a minimal amount of staining on the inside of the suit from competition spray tan.
This suit will fit a 34 to 36 C or D cup, and the bottoms will fit a 33 to 35 inch hip. For reference, I am 5’5″, 119 lbs., with 34-24-34 dimensions.
Price is $250 and includes shipping.
Please message me at stacey@staceynaito.com if you are interested.
People still ask me, “When’s your next show?”, despite the fact that I haven’t competed in close to two years (my last event was in June of 2014). Somewhere along the way, I lost the desire to allow every square millimeter of my body to be scrutinized by judges onstage, and decided to shift my focus to other goals and projects. It can be pretty brutal to put oneself on the chopping block all the time, to be analyzed and judged on the basis of balance, symmetry, and conditioning, especially when the IFBB Pro Bikini pool is teeming with spectacular physiques which seem almost superhuman.
That being said, I wouldn’t trade my experiences for the world, and I feel so blessed to have competed for the six years that I did. As a matter of fact, I still feel that competing is very much in my blood. I am also so grateful for all the opportunities which came to me while I competed. I even have a few suits in my armoire (one of which I am still trying to sell), and the tangerine suit which I won my Pro Card in will never be sold.
Part of me doesn’t want to abandon the idea of possibly stepping onstage again. However, it has become increasingly more difficult for me to get the razor sharp, shredded look that is necessary for the stage, and I lack the time to hit the gym for three to five hours each day in preparation for a contest. The drive to compete has been replaced with a fierce desire to make a bigger name for myself in the world, and I truly believe that if I clutter my world with contest prep strategies, I will dilute my energies too much and will lose the forest for the trees.
I know the question still remains: “When’s your next show?”, and I really can’t provide a clear answer. Despite the fact that each passing day pushes the notion of competing further and further away, I might just decide to grace the stage again at some point.
The kelly green and black silk jacket is a vintage item from my mother’s 1960’s collection and is one of my favorite pieces. I am so glad I got to shoot in it!
Please check out my review of the Hot Logic Mini on YouTube. It’s a portable mini oven which you can take everywhere with you! All you need is a power source, and you can heat up pre-made meals or even cook something from scratch.
If you are a dedicated weightlifter, you have probably had to struggle with fitness plateaus at some point. What most lifters do when they reach a sticking point with their progress is they switch up the rep range or lifting technique in order to activate the muscles differently, but they usually won’t step outside the gym to explore other activities.
However, perhaps the best way to break through a stubborn plateau, especially if you have already tried with the weights to no avail, is to train in a sport which will address your areas of weakness in a novel way, and in many cases, produce the results you seek. Though I am a big proponent of weight training, I also promote training in other sports as a means of changing things up and challenging the body.
One of the most common laments I hear is that the shoulders often lag behind development of the back and arms. So if you have deltoid muscles which won’t respond to iron therapy no matter how you switch up your training, you might want to consider giving tennis or basketball a try. People who regularly engage in these sports tend to have some of the shapeliest shoulders and arms around, because the body mechanics which characterize them incorporate a lot of movement around the shoulder joints. If the region of your body which is lagging behind is your lower extremities, you can engage in sports such as soccer or cycling to ramp up your training efforts and shape up your legs rapidly. If team sports aren’t your thing, you could take up a martial art or boxing to improve your strength and agility while also making your physique appear more balanced.
On a personal note, I took a few flying trapeze classes last fall and was amazed at how much back recruitment occurred during those classes. Though I didn’t sign up for flying trapeze classes with a goal of widening my lats, they indeed became wider as a result of all the static hanging I did from the trapeze pole. I also noticed that after every class, I was sore in places where I never felt sore when I lifted weights. It was a great challenge for me which also enabled me to confront a mild fear of heights. I also found it challenging to refrain from shrugging my shoulders or pulling my body up as I would do during a pullup at the gym. I began to use my body in different ways, and it rewarded me with an improved back silhouette.
In essence, practicing a sport can often break people out of a weightlifting rut and force them to use their bodies differently. You can still adopt the “Gym Is Life” mentality, but by broadening your horizons, you’ll have fun in the process, improve your athletic prowess, and if you choose your sport wisely, may be rewarded with a more balanced and conditioned physique.
It is human nature to allow ourselves little nibbles of so-called “forbidden” foods from time to time. The danger arises when such nibbles become so frequent that a pattern of rationalization over the dietary transgression begins to set in. Bear in mind that even a small indulgence on a regular basis will most likely end up on your waistline. The more control you have over your daily food intake, the greater the chance that you will reach or maintain your fitness and weight loss goals.
Those of you who do not compete can follow a clean diet 90% with the occasional treat and suffer minimal consequences. However, for those of you who are planning on hitting the stage, you need to take your meal plans seriously and follow them as much as possible. Every time you take a small nibble, you risk derailing your contest prep efforts, sometimes enough to push you considerably behind. If you know you are 3 weeks out from a contest, why mess with anything other than your scheduled cheat meal? The best thing to do is tough it out and stick with the program.
Many competitors ask me about condiments and sauces, and whether it is all right to use them on their meals. What I do not like about many condiments is that they contain high fructose corn syrup. Generally, I have competitors (I also advise the same for regular folks) avoid anything containing sugar at all costs. Another issue with condiments and sauces is that they add more calories to your meal. Add such things to a couple of meals a day, and this all adds up.
I have also had competitors ask me which alcoholic beverages they can indulge in on the weekends. Of course my response is along the lines of “none”, but if one insists on having ONE drink over the weekend, vodka based drinks are the cleanest option. You may be wondering if I indulge in libations from time to time, and the answer is yes. I have a particular fondness for wine and sake. What I do is confine my consumption to one weekend evening per week with my cheat meal. Everything in moderation is truly the key.
