283 DAYS of my 365 days of transformation - Women and our Hormones

Life these days is all about TRAINING, practice posing, food prep, eat clean, work... oh yes   I do get to play a little hang out with family and friends.  

I am learning so much on this fitness journey about courage, energy, determination, stamina, strength, tenacity, food, genetics, human nature and friendships. 

I am like a sponge trying to LEARN and figure out how all of these things effect me, my body and my surroundings.     

I hope you continue to follow me on this journey and just to let you know..... I am HAVING A BLAST!    p.s.  it is NOT easy!  "just sayin"

Yesterday I visited with my nutritionist Hari Ghuman, (Registered Nutritionist
Biosignature practitioner L1, L2 PICP Level 1 Strength Coach) and he explained a few things to me about estrogen, cortisol or insulin.    I found this amazing article that explains the effect of the female hormones and weight loss. Please read below.

Female Hormones and Weight Loss

http://www.metaboliceffect.com/female-effect-hormones-determine-female-fat-patterns/

A quick glance at a male versus female body tells you right away something is different. While we can certainly recognize the obvious, we ignore these differences when we talk about diet and exercise for fat loss. The standard health and fitness advice of eat less and exercise more often does not work once people get out of their twenties and into their thirties, forties and beyond and women are especially impacted.

So what is the difference between men and women, what determines where women store fat, and what can women do to address the fitness and fat loss issues that are unique to them?

The differences between men and women:

Women usually have smaller waists and more fat storage on the hips, thighs and breasts. Estrogen and progesterone have much to do with this. Estrogen is largely responsible for greater fat storage around the hips and thighs while both estrogen and progesterone impact larger breasts. Men, on the other hand, are usually much leaner through the arms and the legs and store more fat around the middle as a consequence of testosterone.

Because women experience monthly hormone fluctuations through the menstrual cycle, they know from experience that hormones impact how they feel, function, and look. They seem to intuitively get the fact that hormones play a role in determining whether they store fat or burn fat and where on the body it is lost or gained. To understand why women are so different you have to understand their hormones.

Brief review of the menstrual cycle.

No discussion of female fat loss can take place without understanding the normal female menstrual cycle. The first day of bleeding for a woman represents day one of the menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle can then be divided into two phases, the follicular phase (named for the maturing of the ovarian follicle) and the luteal phase (named for the corpeus luteum which ovarian follicles become after ovulation). Ovulation, the release of an egg from the ovaries separates these two parts of the cycle.

The follicular phase is associated with higher estrogen levels compared to progesterone while the luteal phase is the reverse. The relative ratios of these two hormones can have an impact on female related fat loss and health.

Estrogen and progesterone balance

A key fat loss measure in women is the estrogen and progesterone balance and how those hormones interact with other hormones like cortisol or insulin. Just as looking at the girth of a man’s belly can tell you a little about his testosterone levels, bigger hips and thighs on a women suggest greater estrogen levels relative to progesterone. The reverse of that, larger breasts and smaller hips and thighs, MAY indicate the opposite balance of these hormones.

The menstrual cycle is another key indicator of hormone balance. Since the time just before menses is usually a progesterone dominant time, PMS is a strong indication there is a progesterone deficiency relative to estrogen. Don’t get confused here, a relative deficiency is not the same as an absolute deficiency. A woman can have higher than normal progesterone levels but still have a relative deficiency if estrogen levels are much higher in comparison. Many women with low progesterone relative to estrogen will report feeling like a completely different person before ovulation (the first two weeks of cycle) vs. after ovulation (last two weeks of cycle), where they feel much worse. This ill feeling usually manifests as depression, breast tenderness, moodiness, fatigue, lack of motivation, bloating and other complaints.

Female fat distributions

Progesterone & estrogen both play a in keeping the waist of women smaller. This is because estrogen works against the action of insulin while both estrogen and progesterone oppose the action of cortisol.  insulin and cortisol together are implicated in belly fat deposition. Estrogen is the biggest factor in increasing fat storage at the hips and thighs providing the hour-glass shape. Progesterone with estrogen halts the storage of fat around the waist, but stress can have more of a negative impact on progesterone’s action. High stress has been shown to negatively impact progesterone, so a women who sees fat accumulating around the waist may want to work to reduce stress and raise progesterone.

Interestingly, progesterone can be used to make cortisol in the adrenal glands. Many holistic physicians, including ourselves, believe progesterone derived from the ovaries can be used to increase cortisol production when needed. This is called “progesterone steal” and it is used to describe a situation where the adrenal glands “steal” or “use up” progesterone to make the stress hormone cortisol. This likely only becomes an issue at menopause. At the same time, just as progesterone interrupts the action of cortisol, cortisol does the same thing to progesterone making stress especially insidious for women.

Estrogen is a little different. Estrogen works to increase fat storage by up-regulating what is known as alpha-adrenergic receptors in female fat depots around the hips and thighs. Adrenergic receptors are like the gas and brake peddles on your car and work to accelerate or decrease fat usage. Beta-adrenergic receptors increase fat burning while alpha adrenergic receptors block it. The hips and thighs of a woman have higher amounts of alpha adrenergic receptors compared to men. This is also the major reason it is so difficult for some women to lose fat from the hips and thighs.

It is interesting to note here that one of the best ways to decrease the action of these alpha receptors is by using a low carb diet. This is why many women find fantastic results when they switch from the standard high carb diets and adopt more low carb eating patterns.

Many women have plenty of fat to spare in the hips and thighs but instead of burning it, they will become smaller in the torso and breast first and remain bigger on the bottom. This is a very frustrating scenario for many. Estrogen increases alpha-adrenergic receptor numbers while progesterone decreases it. Progesterone, like testosterone in men MAY increase beta-adrenergic receptors. In this way, estrogen and progesterone work to influence the ability to burn fat and determine from which areas it will be taken from. This is an issue of hormone balance not calories.

Women should not make the mistake of assuming estrogen is all bad. Too high is not good, but neither is too low. Estrogen helps the body be more sensitive to insulin and has fat-loss and muscle building benefits in that regard. As long as it is in balance with progesterone and other hormones it aids fat loss for women

Female hormone changes: age, lifestyle, and the environment

Women are often duped into believing the low calorie diet and aerobic exercise myth. This approach to weight loss rarely works and often creates damage to their body as a consequence. As a woman ages, as a consequence of stress, or because of environmental estrogen mimicking compounds several things begin to occur. The ovaries decrease their production of estrogen and progesterone. This exacerbates estrogen and progesterone balance, further pushing the body more towards estrogen dominance.

There are also many estrogen mimickers in our food and environment. At the same time, fat cells continue to produce estrogen through an enzyme called aromatase present in fat cells. This also leads the estrogen/progesterone balance to shift more towards estrogen. At the same time slimming and muscle building hormones, like human growth hormone (HGH) and DHEA, decline. Together this creates the perfect storm for female related fat gain and most of it occurs in the mid-section.

DHEA, HGH and progesterone are all hormones that act to keep a woman lean and block the storage of fat in the middle of her body. The tricky part is that a low calorie diet and a focus on aerobic exercise makes this worse because they do nothing to restore these powerful hormones and may actually worsen the estrogen progesterone imbalance in the long run.

Fixing the problem:

Women should be focused on eating more, of the right things, and exercising smarter. This means eating higher amounts of vegetables and “estrogen free protein” (a soy free and organic meat focused approach) as well as engaging in weight training over cardio. There are only three ways to reliably restore HGH in the body: sleep, adequate protein, and intense exercise using weights.

Weight training is perhaps the most important aspect of this and is critical for female health especially to stop the belly fat that accumulates during aging. HGH is to women what testosterone is to men, it keeps them looking young, lean and firm. Once progesterone levels fall due to stress, menopause or other factors, HGH is all that is left to keep belly fat in check

Women falsely believe less intense exercise like walking and yoga will give them the desired “look” of their younger years. While these activities are exceedingly healthy they will not be adequate to generate the hormonal effect needed to raise HGH. However, they will work synergistically with more intense exercise to lower the negative impact of cortisol.

Training with the menstrual cycle:

Interestingly, the menstrual cycle may provide unique opportunities for women with exercise. Estrogen increases the amount of fat burned during exercise, but makes sugar burning less efficient. Progesterone opposes the action of estrogen. Since lower intensity exercise burns more relative amounts of fat and higher intensity is fueled more by sugar burning, women can cycle their training modalities to work with these fluctuations.

It is important to understand estrogen and progesterone action on fat burning is completely wiped out by the influence of stronger hormones like insulin. So, in order for a women to reap any benefits from this type of cycled training the insulin exposure will need to be low, probably less than 100g of starchy carbs daily

More long duration and slower type exercises (walking, biking, running, etc) may be of more benefit during the estrogen dominant follicular phase. Higher intensity shorter duration activities (sprint training, HIIT, etc) may be able to generate more of an EPOC after-burn effect during the progesterone dominated luteal phase. Weight training has benefits across the board in opposing the action of stress hormones and assuring plenty of HGH.

The female fat-loss formula involves the following:

1. Decrease exposure to all estrogen related factors in the diet and environment. Including plastic bottles, coffee, soy, pesticides, non-organic meats, sodas, etc.

2.Help the body deal with excess estrogen through natural detoxification. This is done through increased intake of green tea, cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc), increased fiber, tailored supplementation, and decreased dairy and grain (yes, these cause excess release of insulin and conventional milk products may add to the estrogen burden)

3. Decrease insulin and cortisol effects by decreasing most grains and starches and replace with fruits and vegetables. Drink water (not out of plastic) and green tea and skip coffee and other beverages.

4. Supplement with Vitamin D, calcium, and Fish Oil, yes to protect bones, but more importantly to decrease inflammation, protect against heart disease and cancer and balance female hormones

5. Train with weights 3 to 5 times per week. If you want to burn fat, decrease belly fat, build bone, improve mood, enhance strength, bolster self-esteem, tighten the body NOTHING compares to weight lifting exercise. Walking is necessity NOT exercise. Women should walk as much as they can daily.

6. Young menstruating women on low carb diets can use the unique attributes of the menstrual cycle to their advantage.

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What is the difference between Figure and Bikini???  

Figure vs Bikini

By Figure & Bikini Editor - Kristin Shaffer

There are distinct differences between the figure and bikini classifications in competitions. Understanding what the judges are looking for can help you to decide which one is right for you.

----- FIGURE -----

Classes – segregated by height and sometimes age

Posing – structured with mandatory poses for judging comparison (i.e. front pose, side pose, back pose at quarter turns)

Suit – 2-piece adorned bikini, high at hips, top straps attached to bottom criss-crossed in back

Physique - muscles should be toned but not showing muscle fibers like a bodybuilder, balanced on both sides, and proportioned throughout

Stage Presence – feminine grooming with confidence and poise on stage, moves with fluidity

Special note: Figure is suited for women who tend to carry more muscle. Figure is also ideal for more mature women due to less even distribution of body fat as we age.


----- BIKINI -----

Classes – segregated by height and sometimes age

Posing – unstructured with non-mandatory poses for judging comparison (i.e. hand on one hip model pose or hands on both hips)

Suit – 2-piece adorned bikini, can be mid at hips, top straps tie in back like a standard bikini, more flexibility in bikini style than figure

Physique - muscles should be toned but not showing, balanced on both sides, and proportioned throughout, tend to be smaller in stature than figure and a slightly higher body fat percentage creating a smoother overall appearance

Stage Presence – feminine grooming with confidence and poise on stage, moves with fluidity, personality more of a factor in bikini than figure

Special note: Bikini is the most unstructured of all the classes. Strong emphasis on a toned beach body look with no muscle separation. 

Chocolate Avocado Protein Pudding

What you need:

1 ripe avocado
1 scoop of chocolate protein powder
1/4 cup of water
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp crushed walnuts

Blender
Put avocado and all other ingredients into blender
Blend until a pudding consistency (make sure all avocado is blended – no chunks)
Serve in a small serving dish and sprinkle top with crushed walnuts
You can use a different flavor protein powder like vanilla or cookies & cream

DAY 243 of my 365 days of transformation: Go that extra mile that failures refuse to travel

WOW  16 weeks to go until SHOW TIME!!!  

Last week I met with Nutritionist Hari Ghuman for food sensitivity testing and body fat composition.  WOW what an experience.  I learned so much from Hari, about how my body reacts to sleep patterns, food, hormones and stress.  

Hari has now put me on a  two week Nutrition boot camp and a 30 day cleanse.   

Paraway 30 day Cleanse  will Eliminate Parasites can help with decreasing xenoestrogen and heavy metals in the body. Also if you have candida, travelled the world, been on antibiotics or eat a lot meat, you will notice improved digestion after using this kit.

Hari Ghuman is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and has been the owner operator of New Global Vitamins for 8 years. He has experience working with people of all ages and continues to have great success with all of his clients. Hari is a teacher at the Canadian School Of Natural Nutrition, and is the Nutrition Coach for successful sports teams such as the Carleton Ravens Men’s Basketball and St. Mary’s Huskies Men’s Football in Halifax. Hari’s commitment to results, explanation and product knowledge make him a sought after Nutritionist.

Hari shares his knowledge and expertise with  athletes that are looking for information, supplements, body fat composition, and meal planning, and more.  

check out Hari's blog.   http://newglobalvitamins.blogspot.ca/

Next weekend will be very exciting as I have my first fitting for my suit with Joan MacDonald from Daydreams Fitness Wear and then I am attending a posing seminar and information session. There will be representatives to answer questions on tanning, hair/makeup, suits and an OPA representative as well as the promoter of both Ottawa OPA shows will be in attendance to answer any questions.


The first The Ontario Physique Association (OPA) GNC Live Well Posing seminar is in 9 days at Free Form Fitness in Kanata with Elissa Molino, 30 athletes registered so far, limited space! Figure is 11am-12pm, Bikini/mens physique is 12-1pm and BB and womens physique is 1-2pm





Sharing recipes and interesting tid-bits!

Did you know that 

Sleep yourself thin. Really?  Sleep patterns will affect the way you think, crave foods, your energy levels and it is one of the most under rated tools to improving body composition. The better you sleep the better your health.  

Ingredients

2 cans red kidney beans (or black beans), rinsed
1/2 sweet pepper, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp parsley
1/3 cup quick oats
1 egg

Directions

1. Place beans, pepper, garlic, and onion in a food processor, blend until paste-like consistency.

2. Transfer mixture to bowl and add chili flakes, cayenne pepper, chili powder, parsley, oats, and egg. Mix together.

3. Form into 6 patties (use a 1/2 cup to measure) and place on baking sheet. (I use silicone).

4. Bake at 350 about 10 minutes each side. Be careful when flipping, they are delicate.

They turned out pretty good! With the spices there is definitely a “kick” to them and adding some homemade BBQ sauce enhanced the taste.

Nutritional Info (per patty): 215 cal, 12g protein, 28g carbs (10g fiber), 2g fat.

Tuesday, January 29th, 2013

COCONUT OIL – A Saturated Fat: Good OR Bad?

By Tosca Reno

• 

Coconut oil is a controversial subject lately judging from your interest, confusion and questions about the subject.   I don’t blame you.  Saturated fats, and coconut oil is indeed a saturated fat, do cause headaches for us because we do not understand them fully thanks to the negative press. Before I go any further on the matter I want to stress that I am not a doctor so I don’t dispense medical advice. I have plenty of respect for doctors, however, not all doctors know everything there is to know about nutrition because they just don’t spend the time on this subject – typically, 25 hours of classroom time unless they do their own learning. In fact, a naturopathic doctor spends approximately 150 classroom hours studying nutrition. And no, I am not a physician, but I do have NTP credentials which means I fully understand nutritional deficiencies and sufficiencies affecting the human population.  I spent a year studying nutrition and must keep studying it to maintain my credentials.  Some of my classmates were doctors looking to increase their knowledge about nutrition. Hmmmm!

Regardless of what I or anyone else has for credentials, the idea that I recommend the consumption of coconut oil is causing havoc amongst many of you.  The biggest reason is because it is a saturated fat.  “OMG!! Coconut oil is a saturated fat.  My goodness!  Stay away from that stuff!”  That was the advice after WWI.  Before the 1920′s heart disease was a rarity in North America. By the mid 1950′s heart disease was the leading cause of death in NA and today heart disease causes 40% of all North American deaths.  We were told after WWI that saturated fats, predominantly coming from animal fats, are to blame. You would think that folks were gobbling animal fat like crazy from 1920 to today but that is not true since people virtually stopped eating pure animal fats like lard. What we did start to eat in massive quantities is processed foods, refined sugar, vegetable oil (often rancid) and white flour.

What does this have to do with coconut oil?  Coconut oil has been tarred with the same brush as animal fat because it is saturated – this is just ignorance.  We were led to believe that all saturated fats clogged our arteries.  In fact early and often incomplete literature simply stated that coconut oil was bad because it was a saturated fat but gave no further information.  People were afraid of the stuff based on nothing more than ignorance.  But within research journals lays an abundant amount of information on the value of this food.  It turns out coconut oil, though a saturated fat, promotes excellent health like few other foods can.  It helps to get rid of psoriasis, dandruff, speed recovery from the flu and other viral infections, removes pre-cancerous lesions, hemorrhoids and cavities, it even minimizes genital herpes, hepatitis C, epilepsy and AIDS.  The list goes on and on.

What clinches my love for coconut oil and other healthy fats is not only reams of data and research but the way my body and my mind respond.  My hair, skin and nails look healthy, radiant and strong.  My hormones are working just fine thank you – I don’t suffer from post-menopausal swings nor did I experience any other unpleasantries prior to the climacteric.  I laugh a lot – something you can’t do when you don’t have fats.  In fact healthy fats are part of the immune system, the libido (sex drive), every cell in your body, your brain and virtually every other human life facility.  I am careful to eat only excellent quality organic fats.  And even though I eat fat (and ate it while I competed too) I manage to stay slim.  You can’t burn fat if you don’t eat fat.  The metabolic system depends on it.

I already know how good coconut oil is because I have been taking it for at least ten years.  Every time I go to the doctor for a medical I get my blood checked.  My blood chemistry profile makes my doctor and I very happy.  In fact I am going to have a similar medical check up this week.  I will make a promise to post my stats for you.  I suggest you do the research before you fly your coconut oil flag either in or out of the camp.

P.S. Stay tuned for an entire month dedicated to healthy fats. Please raise your questions here. 

Best fat forward,
Tosca Reno B.Sc., B.ED., NTP

DAY 222 of 365 days of Transformation - If your DREAMS don't scare you, then they are not big enough

Is it just me?   my question of the day.....

Saturdays are my day off from the gym.  A day of rest and recovery, I get it.  I so look forward to not rushing, not planning anything, just doing what ever I feel like it.  Maybe get my nails done, shopping, groceries, small errands, get my hair cut...etc.. you know... just stuff!   All this week, I promised myself I would do NOTHING today... NOTHING!!!  I was looking forward to it!

AGAIN... is it just me?  I feel so guilty doing nothing!   I can't do NOTHING... I am not a NOTHING kinda girl.
I got up, made coffee, breakfast, watch some TV, read my mail, local newspapers....  I feel like I should be racing around doing stuff.    Maybe I can't do NOTHING because I race around all week....doing so much!  not sure.

I have never been good at being idle.  Ask anyone who goes on vacation with me.  You better have your running shoes on... cause we are moving.   My friend Karyn tells me the reason it takes me longer to get a tan is because the SUN can't keep up with me and find me!  Even tanning, I am pacing up and down the poolside, off to walk the beach, in the hot tub, in the pool....checking out the what we should be doing next!  

OK...done ranting!  
I am going to finish my BLOG and then go do NOTHING.... ha ha!



When your legs ache, your body burns, and there's sweat all over
..You know you're doing something RIGHT
DON'T give up.

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So many people have been asking me to post photos.  I hesitate to do that, because I then have to deal with other people's expectations of what they think I should look like.    
This process of becoming a figure competitor is a journey, it is my journey and I am sharing with you!   Also, REMEMBER ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY!
I am learning all the different stages of this transformation!

Here is a photo of me (pink top) July 2012 and a few from today (Jan 2013).  

.












Training has been going GREAT!  Only one more week of GVT training and then we 
we are into a 6 week hypertrophy training.  

I'm always focused and I LOVE what I am doing.  

Soon, I will be learning and practicing the poses required for a  figure contest. Posing is one of the most important aspects of competition preparation.  I am so fortunate to have  Elissa Molina as my coach.   With Jared Rosenfeld and Elissa Molino as my coach and trainer I am with the best of the best! 

Check out Elissa!   She ROCKS IT!
2011 CBBF Bikini, Figure and Fitness and Elite Bodybuilding Championships - 5th Figure Over 5'7
2010 OPA O'Brien Luchka Mississauga Classic - 4th Figure Tall
2010 OPA Ontario Championships - 3rd Figure Tall
2009 OPA Northern Ontario Championships - 3rd Figure Tall
2008 OPA Ottawa Championships - 2nd Figure Tall

Take a positive & empowering step today by simply changing ONE unhealthy habit. Make it unbreaded fish vs. your usual hamburger. Make it milk in your coffee rather than cream. Make it a walk up the stairs instead of the elevator.

Whatever you do – make it stick.

Where can you make a small change in your life? What will it be? Will stick?

Give yourself PERMISSION to change.

Change It Up

I know you have heard about the usual tips to make you bigger, leaner, stronger and healthier. I thought it would be great to share some simple tips to change some things up from your regular routine.

1. Instead of always drinking water try drinking soda water like San Pellegrino. What is interesting about this fancy liquid is that it is alkaline and when you add freshly squeezed lemon it tastes fantastic! What we do know is that foods that are alkaline are awesome for your health and it is harder to find foods that are alkaline rather than acidic!

2. Try eating a food that you have not eaten before every couple of weeks! Even if it is a cheat meal try something new. If I did not incorporate this rule into my weekly rituals I would never have tried certain rice proteins, hemp seed milk, quinoa, and leeks.

3. Try having 5 colors on your plate. Next time you sit down and enjoy a wonderful meal with great company, take a look at your plate. Do you see color? Variety? For example chicken breast (white), Quinoa ( try red quinoa), a cup of spinach and some cut yellow peppers. Adding in different colors will add variety and will also add more nutrients to your day.

4. Find some Game! Are you looking for more nutrients in your day? Tired of eating chicken, beef and fish? Worried about all of the harmful additives in these foods? Try eating wild game meats like Elk, Buffalo, Venison, Ostrisch etc. If you can’t find these meats, we will have buffalo very soon! Wild game is high in nutrients and has no antibiotics, and no hormones, and is generally grass fed. Add it to your new foods that you must try!

5. Switch some of your supplements up. Always using fish oil?, try cod liver oil. Always using a multi vitamin try using a superfoods 2-3 a day instead of using a multi. Switching your supplements around will give you nutrients from different sources. You could notice a difference in your energy, recovery, immunity and moods. You will still get the same nutrients but from different sources.
These are just some simple changes that you can make to your lifestyle that will add variety! We all get comfortable in our day to day routine and often we forget to spice it up a bit. If you have any other tips on how to PIMP up your lifestyle feel free to write a comment!

 Tosca's Blog

Friday, January 25th, 2013

Change & Silver Linings: Tosca & Rita Check In

By Tosca Reno

• 

A Note from Me: An Honest Answer to Change

This New Year has already gotten off to a rugged start. I have hit speed bumps in the early weeks that have jolted me out of my smooth ride, including death – I attended the funeral of my beloved uncle and godfather Peter Kester, financial struggle – too many to detail just now, illness – thank you Mexico for the parasitic infection that keeps on delivering, memories of loss – Robert’s disease was in full swing this time last year and the family was just coming to grips with the idea of losing him, weather – it is -27 degress C out there!! Finally I am coming to grips with the fact that I am a little out of shape post the holidays. Getting back into the gym has meant facing pain head on, feeling fatigued in all of my muscles and getting the clear message it is time to get serious again.

Everything is changing! And it is not just me! But the point is, you have to get up and try. You have to face facts. Life carries on. I handled the feelings of change, loss and weakness this way. I let myself have a good cry. Why not? I’ve got tears and crying helps. Then I decided I needed to slow down and be good to myself. I went for yoga classes, chiropractic sessions and a few hot baths. Then I pared my life down to basics. Eat well, sleep a lot, work and train. Keeping it simple helps me see things straight. All of these are coping strategies. I’m just not going to try so hard right now. I will be kind to myself.

Lastly, I need to keep myself open to the idea of change. I went to New York City last week to become re-energized, and I was, but I also brought home feelings of restlessness and uncertainty. I think the restlessness and chaos I feel signals that things are about to change. The ground is unsteady under my feet and that means something is changing, happening, being born. I am going to let it happen. Everything is unfolding as it should even if it frightens me sometimes. I trust that.

Tosca

A Note from Coach Rita: Silver Linings

We are creatures of habit. I like most, love my daily routine of family, work and gym. These are the things in my life that I can control. I am a control freak. I am scared of change. I don’t like when I can’t foresee the outcome or am lead blinded. However, life happens. S&$#T happens. Cancer happens. Great opportunities get missed and people will let you down. You may even let yourself down. These are things that are uncontrollable. What should we do when these things happen? Throw in the towel? Sink the spoon in the tub of ice cream? Uncork a bottle of wine? These ghosts of my past are always inviting me to return when life decides to take an unexpected fork in the road. And although I still succumb to these temptations now and again, I have learned to turn away from these comfortable demons, and choose a better way to deal with challenge and change.

I try to embrace the change in a positive way, finding the silver lining. A diagnosis from the doctor has made my father and I closer than ever. Missed opportunities have ignited my fire and passion even more. When I let myself down or find myself at a crossroads, I know that ultimately, I have the power to choose how to react, and I choose to be happy within the circumstances given to me. This is not always easy. When I feel this way, my husband always says, “watch the evening news, and then you will really see strife, heartache and suffering.” Everything is relative. Finding things that make you feel fulfilled help get through the tough times. The gym helps me. Nurturing my body helps. Helping others achieve their fitness goals help me. And sometimes, taking a break from all of the above, and getting lost for a day, alone with my thoughts, helps.

What helps you to get through the challenge and changes life presents?

Please share. It might help me get through the next one.

Coach C

DAY 209 of my 365 days of transformation - Motivate, Inspire and Change

Everyone knew that it was impossible to do. One day, someone who did not know showed up and did it.     - Winston Churchill

  I'm entering the figure competition at 

The National Capital Fitday Expo June 15 2013. 

National Capital Fit Day is the largest Health and Fitness event in the capital region. This high-energy event is designed to motivate, inspire and change the lives of the people living in the National Capital Region. With a diverse range of seminars, group sessions, and sporting activities all brought together in one location there is truly something for everyone from the beginner looking to make a change to the seasoned athlete.

The NCFD Expo will give you access to the best the region has to offer in the Health and Fitness industry. With dedicated sections for Wellbeing, Trainers and Gyms, Nutrition and Sports Clubs and Associations you are sure to find the right people to help you achieve your desired goals.

Convention Centre, Ottawa ON. | June 15 2013

http://www.nationalcapitalfitday.com/ 

yes, hard work does pay off!




http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/body-transformation-joanne-built-a-new-body-at-46.html

AGE 40  HEIGHT 5'4"  WEIGHT 184 lbs  BODY FAT 30%	AGE 46  HEIGHT 5'4"  WEIGHT 130 lbs  BODY FAT 18-20%

Post To Fitboard

Why I Decided To Transform

Until my 30s, I never struggled with my weight. When I started a home renovation and property management company with my ex-husband everything changed. The long hours left no time for healthy eating and I ate junk food and didn't exercise regularly—something I previously enjoyed very much.

By the time I was 39, I was a mess mentally and physically. My life revolved around taking care of everyone else in my life and putting my needs and wants last. I was depressed, severely overweight, and not at all comfortable in my own skin. I went through the motions every day feeling like I was practically invisible. My weight went up to 184 pounds and I lost all the muscle tone I previously had.

I was 40 when I finally took back control of my life. Working out in my own living room using inexpensive and easily available tools like dumbbells, resistance bands, and a few old exercise DVDs resulted in a steady rate of weight loss.

In addition to weight loss, exercise greatly helped me through the depression of divorce. My mind was cluttered with anger and pain, and exercising seemed to clear it away and let me focus on my body.

How I Accomplished My Goals

I was excited with my progress, so I read up on different healthy-eating plans and overhauled my diet. I avoided the drive-through completely and started eating five to six small meals a day. If I did go out to eat, I ordered lighter dishes like grilled tilapia instead of fried coconut shrimp.

After three months, I was down 25 pounds and ready to take my workouts to the next level. I was too self-conscious to go to the gym before, but I finally felt comfortable enough to join one and fell madly in love with strength training.

The addition of heavy resistance training reshaped my body from pear-shaped to an hour glass. I got my small waist back and my hips and butt shrunk dramatically. But the changes in my physical appearance were only the beginning. Taking care of myself changed me, giving me confidence, energy, and focus beyond anything I had ever experienced.

As a result, I decided to change careers. I'm currently a certified personal trainer with my own studio in Norwood, Massachusetts. I take great pleasure in helping others reach their health and fitness goals.

In January of 2012, I decided to push myself to another level and commit to entering the INBF Northeast Classic in the bikini masters category in June 2012. I did a ton of research, cleaned up my diet even more, and increased the intensity and focus of my training. I was amazed with the changes that occurred in my body and now I'm totally hooked.

I competed again in November 2012 in the INBF Monster Mash and made great progress from my first competition in muscle definition and overall confidence. I don't compete to place, but rather to give myself a set deadline and purpose.

There are hundreds of excuses for why people don’t exercise, or skip a workout.  

It’s easy to make excuses and skip exercising, even though exercising is helping improve the quality of our lives and how we look and feel.

10 excuses for why people don’t exercise:

1. I don’t have the time

2. I’m too tired

3. I’m lazy

4. It’s boring

5. It’s painful and uncomfortable

6. I don’t know what to do

7. It’s inconvenient

8. It’s too expensive

9. It doesn’t do anything

10. I’m embarrassed

And yes, the list goes on, and on.    

It is NOT easy!  I know it!    You can set your mind to anything and get-er-done!  I found this article below.  I hope it helps you decide to just do it!  

Stop whining, stop coming up with excuses and become a DOer.

The action habit — the habit of putting ideas into action now — is essential to getting things done.

1. Don’t wait until conditions are perfect
If you’re waiting to start until conditions are perfect, you probably never will.The best time to start was last year. The second best time is right now.

2. Be a doer
Practice doing things rather than thinking about them. By becoming a doer you’ll get more done and stimulate new ideas in the process.

3. Remember that ideas alone don’t bring success
Ideas are important, but they’re only valuable after they’ve been implemented. One average idea that’s been put into action is more valuable than a dozen brilliant ideas that you’re saving for “some other day” or the “right opportunity”.

4. Use action to cure fear
Action is the best cure for fear. The most difficult time to take action is the very first time. After the ball is rolling, you’ll build confidence and things will keep getting easier.

5. Start your creative engine mechanically
If you need to write something, force yourself to sit down and write. Put pen to paper. Brainstorm. Doodle. By moving your hands you’ll stimulate the flow of ideas and inspire yourself.

6. Live in the present
Focus on what you can do in the present moment. Don’t worry about what you should have done last week or what you might be able to do tomorrow. The only time you can affect is the present.

7. Get down to business immediately
By becoming someone who gets to the point you’ll be more productive and people will look to you as a leader.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Gym Girl: Build-A-Booty

November 6, 2012

By Lifestyle and Strength

I get asked often what my secret is to having round, firm glutes. If you’re a victim of what’s known as “Office Bum” or “Trucker’s Butt,” and are ready to make a transformation, I have great news! As long as you are physically capable of putting in the effort, walking around with sore and stiff muscles from loads of hard work, and have a budget for some hot new jeans, THERE IS NO SECRET. The hard work sounds daunting I know, but how would you feel if you had a backside that became 10 years younger right before your eyes, over the course of six to twelve months? Its possible, and this doesn’t just have to apply to women.
So, where do full glutes come from? What did I do to get mine? I BUILT them and because they were built with MUSCLE, it doesn’t look like they’re heading South any time soon. I believe anyone with the ability to lift weights can grow the booty of their dreams. If you’re willing to go out of your comfort zone and model a bodybuilder, get into HEAVY lifting, and trim some fat, you’ll be overjoyed with the results.
Toning vs. Building:
Many women ask me how they can “TONE” their way to a fit bikini body. I don’t like to use the word “tone” because ultimately making a body part firm and full involves BUILDING up the muscle-size and losing a bit of excess fat. To me, entertaining the concept of toning one’s muscles feeds the misconception that you should perform light, low-intensity weight training to transform an average physique into a tight, feminine, fitness model physique. Unfortunately, major transformations don’t happen without major activity, but know that you can switch from your building program to a maintenance program at any time once you’ve achieved your desired look and aren’t in need of more muscle mass.
Train, rest, eat:
I lift HEAVY on leg days and change-up the technique to target the glute muscles, instead of just my quads and hams. I concentrate on destroying (for lack of a better word,) my glutes on leg days to the point of dancing around in agony with burning bum cheeks between sets. I’m serious. People try not to stare while I hop off the leg press machine and do a dance until the burning subsides – now THAT’s heavy lifting! That feeling is awesome and I’ll tell you why.
That pain I feel at the gym means things are happening, and means there’s lots of repairing for my muscles to do post-gym session. (Many people don’t realize that building happens after the training session during muscle REPAIR, not during weight-lifting). I highly recommend hiring a personal trainer or a coach to customize a building program for you if you have never lifted heavy before. A building program consists of the proper numbers of reps and sets designed to give you optimal results and a safe, injury-free session. Your personal trainer will even assign you scheduled rest days which are just as important as your training days. YES, going to bed early or sitting on the couch and watching Transformers 2 can be just as important in building your booty as your time spent in the gym was.
Finally, your diet should be geared for muscle repair – taking in a balanced diet with strategically timed fats, proteins and carbs makes a WORLD of a difference in muscle fullness. You can see there are a number of factors involved, but the results are worth it. There’s nothing to be afraid of Ladies – lift HEAVY, build a booty, and say NO to “Office Bum.”
You can learn my favourite glute-building exercises *HERE* in last week`s interview with me covering my diet and training practises.
Happy Lifting!
This article was researched and written by 

All the information contained within these World Wide Web Pages is Copyright LifestyleandStrength.com

Day 206 of my 365 days of transformation. Exercise removes weakness from my body.

Is it easy?  nope,  not at all, with daily workouts, drinking between 4-6 liters of water a day, running (and I mean running) to the washroom all the time, logging food into my journal, taking all my vitamins, practice posing, practice walking in my hoochie mama shoes, eating small meals every two hours, food prep for the next day.  I am NOT complaining, just letting you know the level of commitment it takes to reach my goal.

NO, it is not easy, but worth it.... YES, YES, YES!

There are different stages for figure training, I am still learning all the different stages.  

I am ready to conquer the next stage and so excited for the final 6 months of my transformation!   

I started my 6 weeks of GVT training.  Oh...I am loving it by the way! 

It is so tough, 10 sets of 10.

What is GVT training you ask?  

German Volume training was created during the mid-70s in Germany and was popularized by the National coach of weightlifting Rolf Feser. This method, also known as the “10 sets method”, was used by off-season weightlifters to gain lean body mass and shed unnecessary body-fat. 

German volume training targets a specific group of motor units exposing them to intensive amounts volume, i.e. ten sets of a single exercise. The body adapts to the mass amounts of stress by hypertrophying (muscle-growth) the targeted fibers to cope with the work load. Although this program is geared more towards hypertrophy than strength it still has a substantial positive impact on performance for any weightlifter. Practicing a lift for ten sets every five days is going to drastically improve your form and muscular endurance. When you do a high amount of sets for a single exercise fatigued muscle fibers will begin to drop out and new unused fibers will join in to compensate. At the end of ten sets you will have literally used parts of your muscles that you have never used before.The goal with this method is to complete ten sets of ten reps for each exercise. You’ll want to start with a weight of which you could do twenty reps until failure, which for most people is 60% of their 1RM (one rep max). So if you can squat 400 pounds for one rep, you would then use 240 pounds for your ten sets of ten. You must keep the weight the same throughout the ten sets and only increase the weight by five percent once you have completed your ten sets of ten with constant rest intervals. The rest intervals are short (60 seconds between accessory work and 90 seconds between the main lifts) which results in accumulative fatigue. You may find yourself to get stronger again when it comes to the eight and ninth sets because of a temporary neural adaptation.

Water constitutes 65% to 70% of the human body. The following list explains the many detrimental things that can happen to your body if you don't ingest enough water.
By: Ron Kosloff
Feb 15, 2006

It is a fact that 95% of all people in the U.S. are dehydrated. As you age, you literally begin to dry out. A person could eliminate 50% of all diseases by just being hydrated and drinking enough water throughout the day.

It's a little known fact that water and minerals work together as a team. Add essential fats and you have a fantastic combination for your body's hydration.

When you stop to think about it, water constitutes 65% to 70% of the human body. A person can abstain from food for months, but can only last a couple of days without water (and only 6 minutes without oxygen)!

14 Detrimental Things That Can Happen
If You Don't Get Enough Water

The following list explains the many detrimental things that can happen to your body if you don't ingest enough water:

Constipation can occur. Water can relieve this condition.
When the body receives too little water, it will rob what it needs from other sources (primarily the glands). The colon is one primary source, hence constipation.
Water maintains proper muscle tone by giving muscles their ability to contract by preventing dehydration.
Water, along with the essential fats and minerals, prevents sagging skin and returns health and resiliency. (Potassium is paramount for sagging skin).
Water rids the body of waste, which accumulates from improper care and nutrition.
Water is an instant energy pick-me-up, but don't drink water just to drink it, only drink it when you need it, as in the body telling you when you're thirsty or after you have exercised and you need hydration. Another example is that you should eat when you are hungry. Listen to your body; what could be more natural?
Water naturally suppresses the appetite and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Decreases in water consumption will actually increase fat deposits and an increase in water will decrease fat deposits.
The kidneys cannot properly function without water, and, when they don't function, their load is dumped back into the liver. This causes fatigue and liver toxicity. Be sure that you don't have any kidney problems, as excess water can be harmful. Be sure to see a nutritional doctor concerning this, because, if you consult a medical doctor, there is a higher chance that you will be prescribed a diuretic or drug that will only make the problem worse.
Water is the finest cure for fluid retention. When the body receives less water, it perceives this as a threat and will retain every drop that it can. Diuretics flush essential minerals right out of the body and the body's release mechanism of water will shut down.
I always laugh to myself when medical doctors tell people who are dehydrated that they simply need to drink more water, but the doctor doesn't tell them that their body won't hold water without minerals, because he was never educated on this.
(During their education, medical doctors are taught not more than 40 hours about nutrition and in most cases, a lot less!)
Reduce unnatural salt in concentrated forms. Salt is natural to food when it's of the plant or animal source. I'm speaking of reducing, for example, Morton's Salt, commercial salt which is crystallized, stripped of its minerals and bleached.
Salt is not white and pretty, salt is an ecru or brown color. The more unnatural salt that you consume, the more the body will retain fluids to dilute it.
Since our soil is mineral-depleted, use Celtic Sea Salt daily or a colloidal mineral that is mined. These both contain every known trace and rare earth mineral in the world, about 92 minerals total.
The overweight person, with no kidney dysfunction, needs more water because of the larger metabolic load. Water is the key to ridding the body of fat through increased metabolic function. But, always be cautious on over-hydrating your body because kidney damage is possible.
Pure water will eliminate many impurities and toxins from the body through the urine and the stool. A normal amount of water will decrease colon cancer, breast cancer and bladder cancer by 70%!
Water should be consumed cool, rather than warm, for quick absorption. Also, only consume water between meals and on an empty stomach.
Never drink excess water with meals as this impairs digestion. It's all right to drink 4 ounces of a liquid with a meal but never ½ hour before or ½ hour after you eat.
It would dilute your hydrochloric acid, you won't digest your food properly, your food floats around in your stomach resulting in a lot of digestive problems and you could be labelled with acid reflux disease, which is a bogus diagnosis.
Remember, don't invoke "if some is good, then more must be better." Excess water consumption will flush water-soluble vitamins B and C right out of the body and this could directly lead to problems and illness.
The biggest myth in bodybuilding is that you must drastically reduce your water intake to define. This may sound great and be seemingly logical but nothing could be farther from the truth!
When you reduce your water intake, the body will not release a drop and this will actually cause ones' physique to smooth out. Fifty-five years ago, the great Vince Gironda taught that on a contest day you should use an enema to clean out your colon and shrink your stomach.
During the contest day, drink normal amounts of water and use free form singular amino acids all day long to keep energy levels up. Don't do anything during the day except rest, drink water and take aminos.
One other thing that Vince taught was never to pump up before a contest. This sounds crazy, but, if you do pump before the contest, as so many do, you will lose your pump. Then, when you get on stage, you can't pump your muscles twice and you will smooth out.
Remember, posing and tensing will actually pump you up. I have seen people lose contests because of curtailing water and pumping up with weights prior to a contest. If you have any questions on this, please call me.

Last but not least, I also was taken in by the 8 to 10 glasses of water per day advocated by many authorities. Common belief was that herb tea, juices, milk, sport drinks, etc. were not water, but food, so in fact, you must drink just plain water.
I now realize that this is just a myth! Every piece of food that you eat contains water and is utilized by the body as water - period! But the food that you eat must be natural food, not processed and refined food.

After the Workout- Stretching

If you’re into fitness at all, you’ve probably heard a million times over, how important stretching is. But how many of us truly take it seriously? How many of us ACTUALLY stretch?

So why should we stretch? There are a few good reasons.

• 1: First and foremost, it prevents injury. When you’re muscles are warm and pliable, you are less likely to shift the wrong way, spasm or end up injuring yourself.
• 2: Increased flexiblity and mobility.
• 3: Increases recovery time, and can reduce muscle soreness
• 4: Increases circulation to muscles/joints.

When should one stretch?
Before any activity, and afterwards. I find it’s okay to do only some light stretches beforehand, and finish off with some deep stretching.
It also helps finish off your workout. Taking the time to stretch at the end of a tough work out is very calming and meditation like.
Even if you aren’t working out, stretching is still important. I try to do some stretches right before I settle in for bed at night. Not only does it help to get into a routine, but I find I sleep better.
There are many different stretches you can do, here’s a chart:

You can do all of these stretches if you wish, but if you’re low on time, try to either emphasize your stretching in the areas that you have worked out, or try to stretch at least one muscle group each.
You should hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds, and if you can do more than one set of each it is also beneficial.
If you wish to switch things up a bit, you can also incorporate some yoga in as your stretching routine.