The January 2011 issue of the IDEA Fitness Journal features a story by columnist Ryan Halvorson on my breast-cancer-to-bodybuilding story. It focuses on the work that my trainer, Domenick Salvatore, did with me to help me rehabilitate from surgery and treatment and move forward with training.
I have a PDF of the story and some photos. Email me at spencer@rowan.edu if you want a copy!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
NROL Lou Schuler Interviews me on his blog!
I just finished reading the New Rules of Lifting and the New Rules of Lifting for Women, both by fitness author Lou Schuler. This was one of those instances where I read the right books at the right time and heard the message that I needed to hear!
I had been running myself ragged this past fall, yet I continued to push myself to train on days that I was too tired to do it well. This lead to some signficant fatigue for me and I ended up on the sofa for a week in both November and December. Not a good way to manage life. During my second week on the sofa, I picked up the New Rules for Women and read it for a second time (I read it the first time over a year ago). It's a good book overall and I recommend it to any woman thinking about weight training, whether she is a novice or experienced. The message that reached me in a powerful way was Lou's emphasis on the need to rest - between sets, between workouts, and even for longer periods of time between training programs. This made such an impression on me that I emailed Lou to tell him how much I appreciated his book and share my story. He responded by asking me for an interview to post on his blog, which you can view here:
http://louschuler.com/blog/Think+You+Have+Obstacles%3F+You+Won%27t+When+You+Read+This
I then read the New Rules of Lifting (which came out before the one specifically for women) and was once again inspired by Lou's recommendation to make each training workout a little different, and more challenging, than the one before it. My new resolution for the coming winter and spring? It's in two parts:
1. Rest in between sets, workouts and for a week between each new training program. I have to remember that, in order to get bigger and stronger, I need to rest.
2. Only train on days when I can do a quality workout. If I'm too tired to make a good effort and have the workout be different and more challenging than the last time I did it, then I am better off resting.
I had been running myself ragged this past fall, yet I continued to push myself to train on days that I was too tired to do it well. This lead to some signficant fatigue for me and I ended up on the sofa for a week in both November and December. Not a good way to manage life. During my second week on the sofa, I picked up the New Rules for Women and read it for a second time (I read it the first time over a year ago). It's a good book overall and I recommend it to any woman thinking about weight training, whether she is a novice or experienced. The message that reached me in a powerful way was Lou's emphasis on the need to rest - between sets, between workouts, and even for longer periods of time between training programs. This made such an impression on me that I emailed Lou to tell him how much I appreciated his book and share my story. He responded by asking me for an interview to post on his blog, which you can view here:
http://louschuler.com/blog/Think+You+Have+Obstacles%3F+You+Won%27t+When+You+Read+This
I then read the New Rules of Lifting (which came out before the one specifically for women) and was once again inspired by Lou's recommendation to make each training workout a little different, and more challenging, than the one before it. My new resolution for the coming winter and spring? It's in two parts:
1. Rest in between sets, workouts and for a week between each new training program. I have to remember that, in order to get bigger and stronger, I need to rest.
2. Only train on days when I can do a quality workout. If I'm too tired to make a good effort and have the workout be different and more challenging than the last time I did it, then I am better off resting.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Flexibility and core strength pave the way for pain-free weight training
I have been training heavily for the past few months since the bodybuilding show last August. I am in a "building" phase, which means I am working toward building muscle strength and mass through my workouts and my diet.
About six weeks ago, I started developing low-back pain and stiffness. A few weeks after that, I began to experience "tennis elbow", or pain in my left elbow area whenever I used that arm to lift weights. After talking it over with Domenick, I came to see that I was not spending enough time warming up before lifting and I had stopped training my core (abdomenals, obliques and lower back muscles) as intentionally as I had the previous summer. While a younger weight trainer might be able to get away with less flexibility and core work, a 46-year-old cancer survivor cannot.
I began adding 20 extra minutes of flexibility training to my workouts. I was already spending 15 minutes at the end of each workout performing stretches, but I needed more. Domenick encouraged me to add joint rotations to my warm ups and in between sets. Since there is a rest period between sets when I am lifting, this is an ideal time to do joint rotation exercises. Seven days a week, I am performing joint rotation and static stretches. On days that I am not weight training, I simply do the rotations as a warm up to my cardiovascular work that day.
I've also added a concentrated core training workout on the two days a week that I am currently just doing cardiovascular exercise. I perform a varying series of abdomenal, oblique and lower back training exercises for about 15 minutes after my cardio work.
The great news is that my lower back pain and stiffness have completely dissappeared! To be honest, I didn't think the pain would go away that quickly, but I am thrilled that it has. My "tennis elbow" is still with me, but I continue to work on that through stretching, rotations, self-massage and some strength training for my wrists and forearms.
About six weeks ago, I started developing low-back pain and stiffness. A few weeks after that, I began to experience "tennis elbow", or pain in my left elbow area whenever I used that arm to lift weights. After talking it over with Domenick, I came to see that I was not spending enough time warming up before lifting and I had stopped training my core (abdomenals, obliques and lower back muscles) as intentionally as I had the previous summer. While a younger weight trainer might be able to get away with less flexibility and core work, a 46-year-old cancer survivor cannot.
I began adding 20 extra minutes of flexibility training to my workouts. I was already spending 15 minutes at the end of each workout performing stretches, but I needed more. Domenick encouraged me to add joint rotations to my warm ups and in between sets. Since there is a rest period between sets when I am lifting, this is an ideal time to do joint rotation exercises. Seven days a week, I am performing joint rotation and static stretches. On days that I am not weight training, I simply do the rotations as a warm up to my cardiovascular work that day.
I've also added a concentrated core training workout on the two days a week that I am currently just doing cardiovascular exercise. I perform a varying series of abdomenal, oblique and lower back training exercises for about 15 minutes after my cardio work.
The great news is that my lower back pain and stiffness have completely dissappeared! To be honest, I didn't think the pain would go away that quickly, but I am thrilled that it has. My "tennis elbow" is still with me, but I continue to work on that through stretching, rotations, self-massage and some strength training for my wrists and forearms.
Friday, December 10, 2010
My 4-minute documentary on Momversation.com
Over the summer, I made a four-minute documentary of my story for a special series called Her Story for the website momversation.com. Well, it has finally been posted! Here's the link:
http://www.momversation.com/herstory/ministers-wife-body-builder
Making this documentary was a great opportunity for me and my son, Sam, to do something positive in response to my cancer and treatment. My illness was hard on him. At age 11, he's old enough to understand the seriouness of cancer and that people die from it. Making this film was a positive experience in response to it, and it tapped into his technological gifts. He did most of the filming.
http://www.momversation.com/herstory/ministers-wife-body-builder
Making this documentary was a great opportunity for me and my son, Sam, to do something positive in response to my cancer and treatment. My illness was hard on him. At age 11, he's old enough to understand the seriouness of cancer and that people die from it. Making this film was a positive experience in response to it, and it tapped into his technological gifts. He did most of the filming.
Monday, September 27, 2010
My Story in the Philadelphia Inquirer 9/27/2010
I was honored and grateful to be able to have my story told by columnist Art Carey in the Philadelphia Inquirer. He tells it well, and I am happy to share the link with you:
http://www.philly.com/philly/health_and_science/20100927_Celebrating_her_body.html
http://www.philly.com/philly/health_and_science/20100927_Celebrating_her_body.html
Sunday, September 26, 2010
What I eat and why
One of the hardest things about body building is the diet. Several weight trainers have said to me that they think dieting is harder than resistance training, and I can see why. It takes a tremendous discipline to count and limit carbohydrate, fat and protein grams, and to do it for long periods of time.
I have also noticed that many body builders fall into (what I consider) unhealthy diet traps. Some don't eat carefully for much of the year and then have to lose a lot of excess fat in a short amount of time prior to the competition. Others believe and follow dieting practices that aren't sound or supported by research. This would include excessive supplement use, extreme carbohydrate restriction, and dehydration prior to the event. The only supplement I use is a whole-protein, whey-based powder that I mix with water and drink after I weight train. While I limit my carbohydrates, especially prior to a competition, I eat at least 130 grams a day at my lowest level. At the specific advice of my nutrition coach (and professional body builder and trainer) Joe Franco, I did not limit my water intake prior to the competition. Dehydration is dangerous and not necessary, according to Joe, if you have dieted well. I agree with him 100%.
During the two months prior to my competition, I tracked every bite of food that I ate and was careful to keep my carbohydrate, protein and fat grams within levels recommended by my nutrition coach. I weighed and measured myself each week, and he would adjust his recommendations so that I was losing weight slowly (about 1/2 or 1 lb a week) prior to the show. The goal was to lose body fat (for a very lean look on stage) without looking gaunt. By the week prior to the show, my body fat was 16% (down from 19% the previous January). For this next competition, I will probably begin the weight-loss process earlier, as I wasn't quite lean enough for the show I just completed.
My daily dietary staples included: steamed white fish (tilapia, haddock), canned white tuna in water, sliced turkey breast, plain non-fat Greek yogurt (with some Splenda and cinnamon), lots of low-carb vegetables (salad greens, bell peppers, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, celery, tomato, spinach), egg whites, low-carb diet wheat bread, and Special K Protein Plus cereal. In smaller amounts, I ate peanut butter, olive oil, cantaloupe, and other breads/cereals/grains. I cooked and baked my own food to ensure that it did not contain sugar and excess oils. As a treat, I created an Angel Food cake recipe made with Splenda. It was not as fluffy as the kind made with sugar, but it satisfied my sweet tooth many evenings at a mere 9 grams of carbohydrate per slice and no fat. I found that I preferred to eat low-carb foods in greater quantities, rather than higher carb foods in smaller quantities.
Now that the competition is over and I am preparing to compete again next year (in 11 months), I am training hard and still watching my diet carefully. I still follow the same eating pattern as above, only I eat a little more food to ensure that I maintain weight instead of losing it. I also allow myself a few treats each week so that my diet doesn't feel too rigid. I competed at 137 pounds and am finding it comfortable to maintain 140 pounds as my "off season" weight. My nutrition coach has (wisely) recommended that I not gain too much weight in the off season, as it just means I have more to lose prior to the next competition. I didn't want my weight to fluctuate much, anyway. I find that, as I get older, it's much harder to lose weight. I also don't want two wardrobes for my body at two different sizes.
During the off season, I am not logging every bite of food I eat. I tried that for a few weeks, but it was tiresome and felt like a burden. I always come back to the fact that body building is a hobby for me and something I do for fun and fulfillment. So instead, I am making sure I eat enough protein (150 grams a day), limiting my fats to 50 or fewer grams a day and weighing myself on a daily basis. As long as my weight stays around 140, I figure I am eating the right amount of carbohydrates and calories.
It is hard some days to stay with the diet plan, but I am motivated to do so (most of the time). I like how I look, but I also like how I feel. Following this lean protein and vegetable-based diet makes me feel good and helps control my irritable bowel syndrome (yes, I suffer with IBS as a result of the cancer treatment). It minimizes the bloating I can sometimes feel. It has also taught me to recognize when I am eating to cope with negative emotions (stress, most of the time). Now, I stop and relax rather than eat, which is much healthier for me.
I have also noticed that many body builders fall into (what I consider) unhealthy diet traps. Some don't eat carefully for much of the year and then have to lose a lot of excess fat in a short amount of time prior to the competition. Others believe and follow dieting practices that aren't sound or supported by research. This would include excessive supplement use, extreme carbohydrate restriction, and dehydration prior to the event. The only supplement I use is a whole-protein, whey-based powder that I mix with water and drink after I weight train. While I limit my carbohydrates, especially prior to a competition, I eat at least 130 grams a day at my lowest level. At the specific advice of my nutrition coach (and professional body builder and trainer) Joe Franco, I did not limit my water intake prior to the competition. Dehydration is dangerous and not necessary, according to Joe, if you have dieted well. I agree with him 100%.
During the two months prior to my competition, I tracked every bite of food that I ate and was careful to keep my carbohydrate, protein and fat grams within levels recommended by my nutrition coach. I weighed and measured myself each week, and he would adjust his recommendations so that I was losing weight slowly (about 1/2 or 1 lb a week) prior to the show. The goal was to lose body fat (for a very lean look on stage) without looking gaunt. By the week prior to the show, my body fat was 16% (down from 19% the previous January). For this next competition, I will probably begin the weight-loss process earlier, as I wasn't quite lean enough for the show I just completed.
My daily dietary staples included: steamed white fish (tilapia, haddock), canned white tuna in water, sliced turkey breast, plain non-fat Greek yogurt (with some Splenda and cinnamon), lots of low-carb vegetables (salad greens, bell peppers, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, celery, tomato, spinach), egg whites, low-carb diet wheat bread, and Special K Protein Plus cereal. In smaller amounts, I ate peanut butter, olive oil, cantaloupe, and other breads/cereals/grains. I cooked and baked my own food to ensure that it did not contain sugar and excess oils. As a treat, I created an Angel Food cake recipe made with Splenda. It was not as fluffy as the kind made with sugar, but it satisfied my sweet tooth many evenings at a mere 9 grams of carbohydrate per slice and no fat. I found that I preferred to eat low-carb foods in greater quantities, rather than higher carb foods in smaller quantities.
Now that the competition is over and I am preparing to compete again next year (in 11 months), I am training hard and still watching my diet carefully. I still follow the same eating pattern as above, only I eat a little more food to ensure that I maintain weight instead of losing it. I also allow myself a few treats each week so that my diet doesn't feel too rigid. I competed at 137 pounds and am finding it comfortable to maintain 140 pounds as my "off season" weight. My nutrition coach has (wisely) recommended that I not gain too much weight in the off season, as it just means I have more to lose prior to the next competition. I didn't want my weight to fluctuate much, anyway. I find that, as I get older, it's much harder to lose weight. I also don't want two wardrobes for my body at two different sizes.
During the off season, I am not logging every bite of food I eat. I tried that for a few weeks, but it was tiresome and felt like a burden. I always come back to the fact that body building is a hobby for me and something I do for fun and fulfillment. So instead, I am making sure I eat enough protein (150 grams a day), limiting my fats to 50 or fewer grams a day and weighing myself on a daily basis. As long as my weight stays around 140, I figure I am eating the right amount of carbohydrates and calories.
It is hard some days to stay with the diet plan, but I am motivated to do so (most of the time). I like how I look, but I also like how I feel. Following this lean protein and vegetable-based diet makes me feel good and helps control my irritable bowel syndrome (yes, I suffer with IBS as a result of the cancer treatment). It minimizes the bloating I can sometimes feel. It has also taught me to recognize when I am eating to cope with negative emotions (stress, most of the time). Now, I stop and relax rather than eat, which is much healthier for me.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Plans for my SECOND competition in August 2011!
I've received some good feedback from my first competition. Here's a short list of what I did well and what needs to improve:
Strengths: Symmetry and proportions, abdomenals, side pose, hair and makeup, legs have good potential
Areas to improve: overall size, leanness, darker tan, walking and posing, creating v-taper in my back
I have decided to compete in this same competition next year in August 2011. That gives me a whole year (without any cancer treatment or surgery) to work on it. I will work with Joe Franco, the event organizer, who also provides complete training and coaching for figure competitors. I received my first set of nutriton and training guidelines from Joe today and will begin following them tomorrow, Sunday, September 12, 2010.
I feel good and did not experience a "rebound" (i.e. bloating, weight gain) from the competition. My weight is within 3 pounds of what I weighed on competition day, and it's two weeks later. I attribute this in part to Joe's excellent nutrition coaching for me. We didn't do anything extreme that I would rebound from. I stayed hydrated and my weight loss was slow and careful prior to the show.
Strengths: Symmetry and proportions, abdomenals, side pose, hair and makeup, legs have good potential
Areas to improve: overall size, leanness, darker tan, walking and posing, creating v-taper in my back
I have decided to compete in this same competition next year in August 2011. That gives me a whole year (without any cancer treatment or surgery) to work on it. I will work with Joe Franco, the event organizer, who also provides complete training and coaching for figure competitors. I received my first set of nutriton and training guidelines from Joe today and will begin following them tomorrow, Sunday, September 12, 2010.
I feel good and did not experience a "rebound" (i.e. bloating, weight gain) from the competition. My weight is within 3 pounds of what I weighed on competition day, and it's two weeks later. I attribute this in part to Joe's excellent nutrition coaching for me. We didn't do anything extreme that I would rebound from. I stayed hydrated and my weight loss was slow and careful prior to the show.
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