Makeup, hair and styling by the amazing Blanche Le Beau, photography by B-House Photography. More to come…
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Happy Independence Day!
Image from B-House Photography, 2013. Copyright, all rights reserved.
My First Free July 4th Weekend Since 2009!
Pictured above are the division Overall winners from NPC Team Universe last year. That’s me in the tangerine bikini third in from the right. I took home the following placings last year from the NPC Team Universe (you can click on the image to enlarge it):
Overall Master’s 40+ Bikini
1st Place Master’s 40+ Bikini B Class
1st Place Master’s 35+ Bikini B Class
4th Place Open Bikini D Class
I just realized that for the first time since 2009, I am not slated to travel to New Jersey to compete at the NPC Team Universe! No wonder I feel a bit out of sorts. I had grown so accustomed to flying to New Jersey and missing the July 4th festivities in the Los Angeles area, lugging bags full of food and competition gear and stressing out over whether I am dialed in sufficiently to do well onstage. It truly is an odd feeling not to be wound up like that!
It’s also bizarre to regard the NPC Team Universe as an event which is dear to my heart, because prior to 2013, it had always been an event in which I never placed very well. No one wins a Pro Card by placing 14th, 11th, 12th or 8th. There was something magical about the first week of July last year, and by the time I arrived in New Jersey, I knew that I would finally attain my goal of winning my Pro Card.
The NPC Team Universe is a fantastic event, and I am so excited for every single person who is competing this weekend! Best of luck to all athletes who are competing this weekend!
Where In The World Should I Go For Vacation?
I have been chomping at the bit to take a much-needed vacation. I have not had a bona fide vacation since 2007 and long to spend a week somewhere that offers relaxation, adventure, culture, and which finally gives me a chance to catch my breath from the hustle and bustle of a life that is full of activity and responsibility. Everyone needs this kind of break!
I think because I have waited so long to give myself permission to go anywhere for fun, my brain is getting flooded with all the places I have longed to visit. One criterion which I have established in my determination of where to go is that it must be a place I have not yet visited, and it must be outside of the United States. Out of habit I have included the IFBB Tijuana Pro as part of my travel plans despite the fact that this is a competition and thus not a vacation destination on my list.
My desire to go somewhere I have not yet been rules out the following countries: England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Greece and Turkey. But that’s only eight countries out of a relatively long list of countries I would love to visit. One question I have entertained is, do I visit a country of my origin? That is relatively easy since my heritage stems from only two countries: Japan and Hungary. However, my knowledge of the Japanese language is quite limited now, and I feel somewhat ashamed even though as a Eurasian half-Japanese mutt, I am considered “gaijin”. And with Hungary, I only know a couple of Hungarian words. I know that the other language which is spoken in Hungary is German, and sadly, my knowledge of German is quite limited as well.
I just looked up a list of all the countries in the world and this is the list of countries I have not yet been to that I would like to visit:
Argentina
Aruba
Australia
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
Brazil
Canada
Cayman Islands
Costa Rica
Czech Republic
Egypt
Fiji
Hungary
Jamaica
Japan
Monaco
New Zealand
Peru
Portugal
Spain
Venezuela
Virgin Islands
I am thinking of going somewhere at the end of July or the beginning of August before my contest prep for November gets too restrictive. I welcome suggestions on what locales are the best to visit, especially on a shoestring budget.
A Mix Of Denim and Fitness
Another great image from Trudge Photo, shot June 8th, 2014 in Phoenix, AZ.
Melatonin Article For RxGirl.com
Original post can be found here:
http://www.rxmuscle.com/rx-girl-articles/11102-melatonin.html
Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain which regulates the wake-sleep cycle. Production is turned on later in the evening when lights are turned off for bedtime. However, there are a number of poor habits which people commonly engage in which interfere with the body’s production of melatonin, with harmful results such as impaired immune response, increased rate of cellular aging, and increasing the risk of cancer formation. Basically, those late nights you spend watching T.V. or reading are interfering with optimal health. As soon as a light is turned on at night, you send a signal to your brain that is daytime, and production of melatonin ceases, and does not resume when you turn the light off either.
Shorter wavelengths (red, orange, yellow) of light are less detrimental than white or blue light and should be used in the evening. I love the salt lamp I have in my bedroom and try to use that light as my sole illumination in the bedroom as much as possible at night. Why is it so important to preserve the body’s natural production of melatonin? Because melatonin is a potent antioxidant and excellent for reducing inflammation throughout the body, including the brain.
Implement the following guidelines to optimize the body’s production of melatonin:
1. Try to get daily bright sun exposure. Production of melatonin approximates the contrast between bright sun exposure during the day and complete darkness in the evening.
2. Turn off your computer and T.V. at least one hour before going to bed. Both computers and T.V.’s emit blue light which interferes with the body’s normal production of melatonin.
3. Sleep without any lights on. The darker your room is while you sleep, the better chance you have of allowing your body to produce melatonin without interruption.
4. Drop the thermostat to 60 to 70 degrees.
If you think your melatonin levels are low or you have labwork demonstrating low melatonin, and you also suffer from insomnia, you might want to supplement with melatonin tablets. Beware of the dosage, and keep it at 0.5 to 3 milligrams maximum dosage each night. At higher doses, melatonin can have hypnotic effects on some individuals, and on others, a paradoxical hyperaware state may manifest. On a personal note, I had labwork early this year which demonstrated low melatonin, but I wasn’t suffering from insomnia. A colleague insisted I supplement with 3 milligrams of melatonin per night, which resulted in anxiety and a completely sleepless night for all of the nights I took melatonin. Another caution is if you are trying to get pregnant, you must avoid taking melatonin supplements, because they interfere with fertility.
Trudge Photo Does It Again…Great Image
This was shot on June 8th, 2014 in Phoenix, AZ.
Green Coffee Bean Extract
You may be wondering what green coffee extract is, especially when the roasted variety has such a characteristic mahogany brown color. “Green” coffee refers to the most pure and raw form of coffee before it is roasted and processed in other ways. When coffee beans are roasted, a powerful chemical called chlorogenic acid is leached out, and it is this chemical which is believed to slow absorption of fat and glucose from foods, resulting in less fat deposition and greater weight loss. Dr. Oz was a major factor in popularizing this supplement, and allegedly conducted his own study using the extract, demonstrating effectiveness in his subjects. There are several studies which have concluded that green coffee extract can have a modest effect on individuals looking to lose weight, even if all other factors (diet, physical activity) remain unchanged.
I am very much a skeptic when it comes to supplements with weight loss claims, but green coffee extract seems to have some validity. I am seeing more thermogenic formulas with green coffee extract as part of the formulation, and feel comfortable recommending it either alone or in combination. The recommended dosage of green coffee extract is 800 milligrams twice daily before meals.
Too Many Cooks
I am getting pretty tired of clients who think they are suddenly fitness authorities, or who think nothing of following the advice of 52 different people on what to do about diet, exercise after signing up for a comprehensive training and meal plan which I customize for them. Honestly, why hire me if you’re just going to follow whatever your whim decides is cool at the moment? I don’t get easily insulted, but it’s more that I put time into customizing plans and don’t appreciate it when a client reads some silly excerpt in Shape magazine and decides that it must be better than my advice because it was in a women’s magazine.
I deal with know-it-all attitudes as a fitness professional and as a physician. Let me be very clear. I have a four year college degree in Exercise Science from a well respected college. I have over twenty years of experience with weight training, and have done contest prep coaching since 2010. I am a professional athlete.
As a physician I have over a decade of experience, am board-certified and fully licensed. Yet I am challenged on a regular basis by people who think that because they looked up something on WebMD that they are suddenly more knowledgeable than I am. In fact I am not sure which bothers me more: the disrespect I get as a doctor, or the disrespect I get as a fitness professional?
The BEST advice I can give to anyone who is looking for a comprehensive plan in fitness, nutrition, or hormone balancing is to pick ONE expert and stick with that person’s knowledge instead of second guessing the individual by throwing other mostly uneducated opinions on what to do. While I give people a lot of credit for knowing their own bodies. I think it is important to remember that contradicting your coach, physician or mentor is a study in animosity that will pitch you in poor stead with that person who is trying to help you.
Gamma Linolenic Acid
One supplement which has gotten attention from Dr. Oz lately as a potential fat buster and weight loss aid is gamma-linolenic acid. Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is an omega-6 fatty acid which stimulates the brown fat in the body and trigger utilization of white fat for energy. GLA also raises serotonin levels in the brain, creating a feeling of satiety sooner. There have been numerous studies to suggest that GLA can be an effective weight loss aid. Another nifty benefit of GLA is the body’s conversion of it into dihomo-gamma-linoleic acid, which is a precursor of the anti-inflammatory prostaglandin E1.
The Dr. Oz website recommends taking 1,000 milligrams of GLA before every meal for one week to mobilize fat stores for energy, while other sites recommend anywhere from 500 to 2,000 milligrams daily split into several doses. However, many studies state that the effects of GLA can only be seen after prolonged supplementation. GLA derived from black currant seed oil is a bit safer to take since the GLA derived from evening primrose oil may have estrogenic activity in some individuals.
GLA can also help with symptoms of PMS, rheumatoid arthritis and high blood pressure, and it can be excellent for the skin and hair. I am actually quite intrigued with the benefits for skin since I work extensively in the field of aesthetic dermatology and am always searching for skin cures. Of course this means that there is a chance that I will give GLA supplementation a try so that I can report my individual findings in a later blog post.
Make sure that if you decide to supplement with GLA to take this supplement with food to enhance absorption. Also make sure to allow several weeks for the effects to manifest. Lastly, bear in mind that this supplement tends to be very unstable and can turn rancid, so store in a cool, dry, dark place.
