At the OCB Figure Competition

At the OCB Figure Competition
Leslie celebrates completion of her first competition!

Leslie's Story in Brief...

46-year-old breast cancer survivor

diagnosed in March 2009

final surgery on June 4, 2010

Professor of Health and Exercise Science at Rowan University

Pastor's wife (of Stuart Spencer, Thompson Memorial Presbyterian Church in New Hope, PA)

Mother of Sam (age 12) and Miles (age 7)

Trained all through chemotherapy and radiation

Completed her first body building competition EVER on August 28, 2010!!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Overtraining and under-eating

At seven weeks before the competition, I realized that I had been training too hard and not eating enough.  The combination was leaving me feeling physically tired during the day, unable to sleep well at night, always craving something to eat, and lacking motivation for things I normally like to do (including training).  It developed gradually over 2 weeks, and it took me that long to recognize what was happening to me.  I imagine that someone else who was not familiar with these symptoms (I discuss the problem of overtraining in one of my courses) might go longer without recognizing them.

A challenge of bodybuilding starting about 12 weeks prior to a competition is figuring out the right balance of diet and exercise to maximize your msucle definition on stage.  You need to train to maintain the msucle you've built, but you also need to reduce your body fat to make the muscles more visible.  I am learning that it's a delicate balance and that everyone's body is different.  Another bodybuilder's diet and training plan at this stage might work well for him or her, but not for you, even if he or she is the same gender and similar to you in size and age.

 At about 9 weeks before competition, I had decided to slowly begin to reduce my carbohydrate intake and overall calories.  I had been eating 2,200 calories per day and ended up dropping to 1,800 per day, although I didn't have a specific calorie goal when I made the change.  My fat intake was already very low (less than 20% of my total calories), and I was attempting to eat 130 - 150 grams of protein each day.  I use a computerized diet tracking software to minitor these levels.  I also changed my training program at that point to two workouts each day instead of one.  I did 30 minutes of aerobic training in the morning (before breakfast) and my usual 60 - 80 minutes of resistance training in the afternoon.  I was also spending about 20 minutes a day posing.

Looking back, it makes perfect sense to me that I developed overtaining symptoms, but I didn't see it at the time.  I think what contributed to this lack of perspective was my fear that I would not be able to lose the amount of body fat I wanted to lose before the competition.  At 45 years old and having low estrogen (because of my hysterectomy and cancer treatment), it is harder for me to lose body fat.   Now, my current body fat is 19%, which is quite low for any woman and especially one at my age.  Many female bodybuilders compete at levels much lower, though, with some of the younger ones getting below 10% body fat.  This is not healthy in the long term and isn't my goal.  But my fear was that, if they are competing at 10 - 15% body fat, how will I fare at a much higher level?

I learned at least two valuable things from this experience.  First, I cannot obsess over numbers.  It doesn't matter what my percent body fat measurement is or how it changes; what matters in a competition is how I look (and equally important to me, how healthy I am).  It's easy to obsess over numbers as a bodybuilder; we do it concerning bicep size, calorie intake, wieght, body fat, and anything else we can measure.  I'm trying to be aware of it when those thoughts creep in and change them to healthier, more positive thoughts.  Second, I learned that I really need to be aware of my body and how I am feeling, both mentally and physically, and then respond to what it needs.  My body awareness is increasing as a result of this experience.  More important, my willingness to take care of my body (and mind), which includes resting and eating enough food, is increasing as I see how important these things are to my success and health.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Feeling Fear and Not Giving Up

Eight weeks prior to the competition, I participated in my first posing class.  The two-hour class, led by Joe Franco and his assistant, Lisa, was terrific.  Joe and Lisa provided the right balance of encouragement and constructive criticism.  The five other women in the class were friendly.  I learned A LOT about posing and how much I needed to practice to be ready for the figure show.

The class marked a turning point for me, though, in terms of the reality of what I had committed to do.  Up until that point, the competition seemed far away and sort of vague in my mind.  Participating in the class, however, made it much more concrete and imminent, and I understood for the first time how much of a novice I am at this whole venture.  The good news is that I didn't feel completely over my head.  I may have been the least proficient member of the class, but I kept up.  Still, it was intimidating.  Posing is a lot like ballet.  The experts make it look effortless, masking the years of practice it takes to gain mastery of the skill.  It isn't beyond my ability to pose well, but it will take months of daily practice, in addition to the rest of my training, to become even moderately good at it.

So I started feeling some fear and anxiety about the show.  What if I make a mistake on stage?  Fall off my shoes?  What if my body isn't developed enough?  Suppose the judges give me really low scores?  How will I feel if I come in dead last in both divisions in which I'm competing?

It took a day or two of thinking through these questions before I could make peace with my fears.  If I fall or otherwise make a mistake on  stage, I will just keep smiling and get back into position.  It would not be the first public mistake I've made on a stage.  (I have a history of singing, acting and public speaking.)  I reminded myself that this is just my first competition; I have more ahead in which to perfect my performance.  I also decided that my rank order in comparison to the other competitors is not as important as my actual score.  If my division includes fellow competitors who are all very well prepared, my score could be respectable for a beginner and still be the lowest in my group.  Beyond that, I remembered that I am doing this for some very important reasons besides my score.  I decided that, when competition day arrives and I walk onto the stage, I will remember that this is my victory walk over cancer, and that I am doing this to encourage and inspire everyone who faces a hardship and perseveres to reach a goal.  Finally, this is an act of worship for me, as I show my thanks to God for giving me such a healthy, beautiful body and for healing me of my cancer. 

Monday, July 5, 2010

Skin care, cancer treatment, tanning and competition

Cancer treatment is hard on your skin.  Chemotherapy, radiation therapy and estrogen suppression can each have an aging effect, and they seemed to cause my skin (especially my face) to look dryer and blotchier than before treatment.  Chances are likely that these problems had been creeping up on me over the past ten years (I'm 45), but I felt that cancer treatment was accelerating the process.  As a treat, I decided to visit and aesthetician for a facial and an at-home skin care program.  I've had a few treatments over the past six months, including light dermabrasion, laser treatment to remove a few spots, and a light (non-painful) acid peel.  These treatments improved my skin and I am planning to invest in a facial about twice a year.

I also purchased the (very expensive) Obagi skin care line of products.  They were great for my skin and people noticed a difference in my complexion.  Of all the products in the line, two are only available through a physician.  They are the tretinoin (retin-A) cream and the hydroquinone.  I quickly abandoned the hydroquinone, though, as there is controversy over its safety.  (Hydroquinone is banned in most of Europe, as it may be carcinogenic.  There seems to be debate over this claim, as it's legal in the U.S. through a physician.)  Tretinoin appears to be safe by everyone's standards and is effective in stimulating new skin cell production.  I've been pleased with the reduction of fine lines and evenness of my skin tone.  While the other products in the Obagi line (cleanser, toner, sunblock) were very nice, I decided that they were too expensive.  I've been buying cheaper cleanser, toner and sunblock and have been pleased with them.

My philosophy of skin care has always been pretty simple:  Don't smoke, don't tan, drink lots of water and get enough sleep.  I still do these things.  The one area in which I have improved, though, is sun protection for my whole body, especially my face, neck and chest.  I realized that the expensive products are rendered worthless if I don't maintain their effects by blocking the sun year-round.  My body and face moisturizers have an SPF of 15 or 30, and I wear them every day of the year.  If I am going to be outdoors for a lengthy period of time, I wear a stronger sunblock.  I have a growing collection of hats, and I seek out shade whenever possible.

One challenge of bodybuilding is that competitors must be very, very tan on stage.  This is to increase the look of muscle definition and to keep competitors from looking "washed out" on stage.  Many competitors will use tanning beds prior to competition, but this is not an option for me for several reasons.  First, I want to minimize my risk of skin cancer.  Second, I'm vain enough to want my skin to look young and healthy and minimize wrinkles as long as possible.  I've tried lots of sunless tanning products and use them on a regular basis.  My favorite brand is Fake Bake.  The spray looks good and is fast, but the mousse gives smoother coverage and lasts a lot longer.  Fake Bake won't be dark enough for a figure competition, though, so I'm planning to try Pro-Tan or Jan-Tana, two product lines specifically for bodybuilders.  My tan will have to be completely sunless, so I plan to experiment with Pro-Tan and/or Jan-Tana prior to the show to get the look right.